What do you associate with Pride Month? It is not uncommon to see numerous #PrideMonth posts during June — especially on easy-to-consume social media like Twitter or Instagram, where posts often contain a quick one-to-two-sentence caption and a picture of a rainbow flag. But rarely will there be content diving more into the issue with the historical background of the hows and whys.
LGBT Pride Month may be confused with LGBT History Month, but the difference is that Pride Month is in June, while History Month is in February. Pride Month, of course, celebrates the accomplishments and voices of the LGBT community, honoring both collective and individual experiences and universal love. History Month treads a similar line, except there is more focus on the objective history,recognizing past events, and the development of social conceptions around non-heteronormativity.
Before delving further into Pride Month, it is important to still provide a quick debriefing of LGBT History Month, as there can never be too much context. LGBT History Month was chosen to be celebrated in February because it was within that same month that Clause 28, or Section 28, of British laws prohibiting the “promotion of sexuality” was abolished in 2003.
Since LGBT History Month is already often associated with retelling historical precedents to the modern societal conception of LGBT, this article will attempt to revisit the history of certain key events leading up to, and after, the delegation of an official, widespread idea of “LGBT Pride Month.”
The celebration of Pride Month has its roots in the Stonewall Riots. The Stonewall Riots occurred in 1969, during a period of time where homosexual conduct was deemed illegal in nearly all the states, therefore facing continuous harassment from both legal authorities and everyday life. However, a bar called Stonewall Inn located in Manhattan, NY, was known as a rare safe haven for the LGBT community—until the police invaded. It was at this particular time that the community had enough and decided to fight back, inciting a revolution that inspired the oncoming years to find the courage and strength to take back the shame that had been forced onto their identities and existences. A year after the Stonewall Riots, the community began circulating the idea of “Gay Pride” to reclaim their vigor for equal treatment, and began a tradition of marching down Christopher Street to Central Park until it snowballed into the annual celebration we know today.
In terms of “official,” or legal, acknowledgement of Pride Month, President Bill Clinton was the first to declare June “Gay and Lesbian Pride Month” from 1999-2000. The next president to do so was President Barack Obama, from the years 2009-2016, declaring it “LGBT Pride Month.”Donald Trump could be said to have acknowledged LGBT Pride Month in 2019, but rather than an official proclamation, he issued two tweets:
“As we celebrate LGBT Pride Month and recognize the outstanding contributions LGBT people have made to our great Nation, let us also stand in solidarity with the many LGBT people who live in dozens of countries worldwide that punish, imprison, or even execute individuals…” (½)
“on the basis of their sexual orientation. My Administration has launched a global campaign to decriminalize homosexuality and invite all nations to join us in this effort!” (2/2)
And in the more recent year of 2021, President Joe Biden acknowledged June as “LGBTQ+ Pride Month.” As June is right around the corner for Pride Month of 2022, let us welcome the new year with even more hope and vigor for not only increased acknowledgement of the LGBT community, but also for more widespread knowledge, empathy, and solidarity.
Sources:
- https://www.them.us/story/the-complete-history-of-pride
- https://www.etonline.com/pride-month-how-it-started-and-how-to-celebrate-166317
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_pride#:~:text=LGBT%20Pride%20Month%20occurs%20in,have%20had%20in%20the%20world.&text=Three%20presidents%20of%20the%20United%20States%20have%20officially%20declared%20a%20pride%20month.