Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month (LGBT Pride Month) is celebrated each year in June to honor the Stonewall riots in Manhattan in 1969. The Stonewall riots were a pivotal turning point for the Gay Liberation Movement in America. The last Sunday in June was initially celebrated as “Gay Pride Day,” and in big cities all over the country, the day soon grew to include a series of events for the whole entire month. Today, celebrations include parades, rallies, picnics, parties, workshops, concerts, and tons of other events that attract millions of participants worldwide. In addition, memorials are also held during this month for those members of the community who have been lost due to hate crimes or other tragedies.
The purpose of this commemorative month is to recognize the groundbreaking impact that LGBTQ individuals have had on history locally, nationally, and internationally. In 1994, America designated October as LGBT History Month and in 1995, a resolution passed by the General Assembly of the National Education Association included LGBT History Month within a list of commemorative months. Starting in 2009 and for the next seven years, Obama declared June as National LGBT Pride Month, recognizing the gay community and calling “to eliminate prejudice everywhere it exists, and to celebrate the great diversity of the American people.” In 2017, it isn’t. Pride Month is one of four Obama-era proclamations that President Trump declined to continue.
On June 12, 2016 49 innocent lives were taken, 58 others were injured, and thousands more were paralyzed with fear. 29-year-old Omar Mateen opened fire at Pulse, the club that calls itself the city’s hottest gay bar. He took hostages, and after a three-hour standoff, police moved in and he was finally killed during a firefight. This tragic event will go down as the worst and deadliest mass shooting in United States history. As a member of the LGBT community, this hit particularly close to home and terrified me. I couldn’t fathom how anyone could commit such an act of hate against a community that represents nothing but love. It was an attack on everything millions of people stand and fight for each and every day. It has been over a year since the horrific event, and our community has come together to show the world that we are stronger than anything and anyone that tries to tear us apart and destroy our pride. We could have gone back into hiding and fallen apart, but we chose to combat heinous acts hate with overpowering acts of love.
To top it all of with some amazing news for the LGBTQ community worldwide, Taiwan’s Constitutional Court ruled on Wednesday May 24th 2017 that current laws, which say that marriage is between a man and a woman, violate the Constitution making Taiwan the first place in Asia to allow same-sex marriage! The island has a large gay community and its annual gay pride parade is the biggest in Asia. Germany also followed suit early Friday morning, June 30th 2017, when the lower house of the German Parliament voted to legalize same-sex marriage which is a great way to end pride month. My hope is that one day people don’t have to live in fear and be discriminated against simply based on who they chose to love. May we continue to progress each and every day in our struggle for equal rights worldwide. Love is love no matter what gender, race, ethnicity, or anything else that makes us different from one another. Remember to always treat everyone you meet with kindness, acceptance, and most importantly love.