Celebrating Inclusion, Diversity, Community and Pride Month 2021

Gay Pride, also called LGBT Pride or LGBTQ Pride, by name Pride, annual celebration, usually in June in the United States and sometimes at other times in other countries, of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) identity. Gay Pride commemorates the Stonewall riots, which began in the early hours of June 28, 1969, after police raided the Stonewall Inn bar in New York City’s Greenwich Village neighborhood. Gay Pride typically involves a series of events and is often capped by a parade involving marchers and colorful floats from the LGBTQ community and its supporters.

Before the Stonewall riots, LGBTQ individuals had generally not broadcast their sexual orientation or identity, but the event galvanized the gay community and sparked greater political activism (see gay rights movement). In 1970, on the first anniversary of the riots, several hundred demonstrators marched along Greenwich Village’s Christopher Street, which runs past the Stonewall, in what many consider the first Gay Pride march (though other commemorations were also held that year). Early Gay Pride events (often called Freedom Day or Gay Liberation Day) were often sparsely attended and encountered protests, particularly because of the outlandish costumes that some marchers wore. In 1978 which is perhaps the most recognized symbol of Gay Pride made its debut at the San Francisco event: the rainbow flag. The flag, with its eight colors (sexuality symbolized by hot pink, life by red, healing by orange, the Sun by yellow, nature by green, art by blue, harmony by indigo, and spirit by violet), was designed by San Francisco artist Gilbert Baker and has been adopted worldwide. The following year a six-color flag, which is in common use today, appeared (with red, orange, yellow, green, blue [harmony replaced art as symbolized by blue in the flag], and purple/violet), partially because of the unavailability of some of the fabric colors.

The early demonstrations often focused simply on participants’ being proud to be out of the closet, on individual freedom, and the diversity of the LGBTQ community. But by the 1980s—particularly after the spread of AIDS—political and social activism had become central to Pride events, and many of the marchers carried placards that focused on the social issues of the day. As acceptance of the LGBTQ community increased among the straight community, politicians sympathetic to the views of the LGBTQ community and gay-friendly businesses and corporations began participating in the marches. The total number of people participating—both gay and straight—mushroomed, and Pride events were held in many parts of the globe, including cities where they sometimes encountered stiff resistance (e.g., in Jerusalem, Moscow, and Warsaw). In cities such as Amsterdam, Chicago, London,  Mexico City, New York, Paris, San Francisco, and S?o Paulo, Pride events usually attract several hundred thousand to more than a million celebrants annually; indeed, it was estimated that more than two million individuals attended the 2007 Europride event in Madrid.

LGBT Pride Month events draw millions of participants from around the world each year. Typically, there are monthlong celebrations and in-person gatherings that take place across the nation, including pride parades, marches, parties, concerts, workshops, and symposiums. Memorials are also often held for members of the LGBT community who have lost their lives to hate crimes or HIV/AIDS.

The rainbow LGBT flag is prominently displayed throughout the month. Gilbert Baker, an American artist, gay rights activist, and U.S. Army veteran created the flag in 1978 as a new symbol for the gay and lesbian political movement at the suggestion of his friends and colleagues, including Harvey Milk, a San Francisco city supervisor and the first openly gay elected official in California. Milk was assassinated later that year.

According to Baker's website, the colors of the LGBT flag each have a meaning: red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sunlight, green for nature, blue for harmony, and violet for spirit.

Baker died at the age of 65 on March 31, 2017, though his rainbow flag remains an iconic, powerful symbol for LGBT pride.

This year's LGBT Pride Month will be celebrated differently due to the coronavirus pandemic, but after the virus canceled nearly every in-person event in 2020, many are back this year. All 50 U.S. states have started to lift stay-at-home orders and other restrictions imposed to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus as vaccinations increase and cases decrease. Still, some of the LGBT events will be a mixture of in-person and online events.

Sources:

1. https://gilbertbaker.com/rainblow-flag-color-meanings/
2. https://youth.gov/feature-article/june-lgbt-pride-month
3. https://www.peoplematters.in/article/strategic-hr/the-five-pillars-of-the-new-normal-26144
4. https://www.loc.gov/lgbt-pride-month/about/
5. https://edition.cnn.com/2021/06/01/health/pride-month-2021-trnd/index.html
6. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Gay-Pride
7. https://fortune.com/2019/06/03/why-pride-month-is-more-important-than-ever-raceahead/
8. https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianthompson1/2020/06/01/the-history-of-pride-month-and-what-it-can-teach-us-about-moving-forward-today/?sh=53bc7d2a4514
9. https://people.com/human-interest/pride-month-explained-pride-month-facts/
10. https://abcnews.go.com/US/lgbt-pride-month-2021-history-events-parades/story?id=71017699
11. https://www.iglta.org/Events/Gay-Pride-Calendar?gclid=Cj0KCQjwweyFBhDvARIsAA67M71BAeQwOJtMVdO_FJ5Es_cuyjVQoitjD_DaL_SS_9OrHtsgIstpUrcaAroWEALw_wcB
12. https://babylonbee.com/news/corporations-drop-lgbt-community-like-hot-tamale-now-that-pride-month-over?gclid=Cj0KCQjwweyFBhDvARIsAA67M71PT8bgRZ0ySbirHI1X_bysuQ6wLd4---hj-3TmBr98rbYoR-PThm4aAkcOEALw_wcB