Post by special guest: Cindy Lamar
Parades, parties, and drag shows - Oh my! Roads across America will become yellow-bricked— as well as red, orange, purple, pink, blue, green, white, black, and brown—decked with business floats and merrymakers ready to wrap the LGBTQIA+ community in a giant rainbow boa. June is here, and with it, we kick off a month-long celebration of Pride.
The first pride parade—known as the “Gay Pride Liberation March” of 1970—was conceived to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the June 28, 1969, Stonewall uprising. On that day, patrons and others took to the streets to protest the unfair arrests and violence against those who frequented a small dive bar in the West Village, NYC - The Stonewall.
These days, you know Pride is near when large retail establishments start displaying products bearing rainbows, and companies adopt new more colorful logos to be openly inclusive—in brand if not in practice. For the gay community, Pride Month is a chance to amplify our identities and welcome ally appreciation. Parades march on American streets, manifesting at different times in various cities across the nation and globally. Some are more protest than party in those places where equality is not yet a given and where many still hide or subdue their identities for fear of prejudice and violence.
We have made strides, but there is a ton more work to be done. In 29 states—more than half of America—LGBTQIA+ Americans can be denied service, housing, and medical care. Our “T” family members, the trans community, are the most vulnerable, least accepted, and most violently targeted among us. Witness how our freedom of speech is being challenged when Zooey Zephyr, Montana’s first and only openly trans state representative, was banned from the House floor and from speaking for the rest of the legislative session.
We won the right to marry, but individual states are still chipping away at all education and culture that mentions gay or anything LGBTQIA+ related. But we refuse to be silenced.
As Pride rolls in and you celebrate with us, please consider that we need your allyship, love, advocacy, and financial support for 12 months of the year—not just during Pride season. We still fight for our basic human rights and the right to exist. Below is a list of some resources for you to explore. We do not endorse any particular organization but offer many organizations through which you can offer support, become involved, or simply learn more about the community, its triumphs, and its continuing struggles.
Happy Pride (from Cindy, Ella, Erin, Nicolette, and "Gay-by" Mabel)!!
LGBTQIA+ Resource Links
Human Rights Campaign
Advocacy and Support Organizations for LGBTQIA2S+ Communities
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Glaad LGBTQ Resource List
An Ally’s Guide to Issues Facing the LGBT Americans
LGBTQ+ Victory Fund
A national organization that aims to elect pro-choice, pro-equality LGBTQ+ leaders to all levels of public office.
The First Pride was a Riot: The Origins of Pride Month, American University
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