Clothing, colorful makeup, and hairstyle.
The rainbow flags are waving.
Crowds in big cities are gathering for a parade on the road.
Every June, it has become a familiar sight on news pages worldwide. This is the time for the LGBTIQN community to come together and celebrate through various activities such as parades, parties, shows, and seminars focusing on rights and addressing inequalities. This month is widely recognized as “Pride Month.”
What is Pride Month?
If we superficially look at Pride Month, it might seem like a fantasy event full of colors, songs, music, and cheerful activities. But behind the joy, there are still many stories and implications.
Pride Month is designated to celebrate the rights and cultural booming of the LGBTIQN community. It focuses on the advancement and success of movements for gender equality in various areas throughout the year. Pride Month also plays a role as a political movement to raise awareness of the inequality and lack of recognition that the LGBTIQN community still faces in every aspect of society. This is a commitment that everyone should continue pushing this issue forward.
Pride Month reflects the long history of the gender equality movement. It provides a platform for marginalized groups, including rural and Black individuals, as well as those who face discrimination in society, to express themselves and advocate for equality. This is not just an event for the LGBTIQN community; anyone who believes in and supports building an equal society can participate in this celebration.
Why does it have to be June?
On the dawn of June 28, 1969, the police raided the Stonewall Inn, a well-known gay bar in the West Village of New York City, United States. They used force to remove the customers, most of whom were part of the LGBTIQN community. While it wasn’t uncommon for law enforcement to use force in such situations due to same-sex relationships being illegal, the difference this time was that the gay people at the Stonewall Inn fought back. The conflict escalated into a significant confrontation between the police and the LGBTIQN community, lasting several days. This event became known as the Stonewall Uprising.
Stonewall Inn Uprising
This pivotal moment inspired the global LGBTIQN community to stand up against injustice, as exemplified by movements for gender equality, like the Gay Liberation Movement from the late 1960s to the mid-1980s. That movement was a consequence of the Stonewall Inn Riots. The Stonewall Uprising was another vital catalyst that forever changed the way to fight for LGBTIQN rights in the modern world.
After the uprising at the Stonewall Inn was quelled, New Yorkers commemorated the event by organizing activities to mark the anniversary in 1970. They initiated a parade from Stonewall Inn to Central Park, which marked the beginning of a movement expressing sexual diversity across the United States and subsequently spreading worldwide. Brenda Howard, an activist at the forefront of the first commemorative event, coined the term “Pride” parade. This word was subsequently used to describe activities related to sexual diversity and has remained well-known to this day. In 2016, during Barack Obama’s administration, Stonewall Inn was designated as a National Memorial.
What does the rainbow flag represent?
During Pride Month, rainbow flags with six colors may be seen at parades and events celebrating LGBTIQN. This flag is an essential symbol of the sexual diversity movement, and Gilbert Baker, a US artist, designed it. In 1978, Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, asked him to create a flag to celebrate Pride Month.
Gilbert was inspired to create a flag using rainbow colors. The original flag had eight colors, each with different meanings. Red symbolized life, orange symbolized healing, yellow symbolized sunlight, green symbolized nature, blue symbolized harmony, and purple symbolized spirit. Two other colors, pink representing sexuality and turquoise representing magic and art, were later removed from the flag.
Although Pride Month is an occasion to celebrate sexual diversity, it also includes many activities organized by the LGBTIQN community worldwide to promote equality throughout the year. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, most Pride Month activities were canceled last year. However, even though the situation is somewhat normal this year, many major cities known for their Pride Month events, such as New York and Los Angeles, are ready to organize virtual events. Meanwhile, cities like Miami and London have postponed their celebrations to September to have them on a full scale.