The importance of Pride
Shoosmiths
The law firm clients choose for excellent service, incisive thinking and for our ability to focus on what matters.
June is Pride month! Gone is the rain of the winter months. The sun is shining and the rainbows are out ???
So settle in, grab a brew, and let senior associate and PROUD Champion, Kat Raanan , tell you a little bit about why Pride is so important to the LGBT+ community, and why it should be to you, too.
What’s it all about?
Pride month is traditionally held in June as a dedication to the Stonewall uprising which took place in New York City in June of 1969. The uprising, which is widely recognised as being the catalyst for the modern day LGBT+ rights movement, was a response of solidarity by the gay community to a police raid at the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, Manhattan in the early hours of 28 June 1969.
You will often hear Pride referred to as a protest. This is because the Stonewall uprising was a protest of the LGBT+ community against being treated differently and subjected to social sanctions and legal restrictions on the basis of their sexual orientation.?
In the years since the uprising, extensive legal rights have been afforded to the LGBT+ community, and progress can be directly linked to the courage and visibility of the many individuals in our community who fought and continue to fight for those rights.
But why is Pride relevant now?
Fast forward over 50 years, and Pride is now seen by most in the LGBT+ community as a celebration rather than a protest; a celebration of how far we have come; a celebration of the incredible LGBT+ activists around the world, but also an opportunity to raise awareness of the ongoing inequalities (both social and legal) which still exist in our society.
It’s easy to forget that same-sex marriage in England, Wales and Scotland has only been legal since 2014, and in Northern Ireland, only since 2020!
"Whilst huge progress has been made over the past few decades, such progress is slow and stunted."
Today, over 30 years since WHO declassified homosexuality as a ‘disease’, there are still a whopping 71 jurisdictions which criminalise private, consensual, same-sex sexual activity and almost half of these are Commonwealth jurisdictions. 15 jurisdictions still criminalise the expression of transgender people under ‘disguise’ laws, and in 11 jurisdictions LGBT+ individuals could still be sentenced to death for who they choose to love.
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What can we do?
Raise awareness, get involved, educate yourself and most importantly, be kind.
It really is that simple. Pride month is the perfect time to recognise the contributions of your LGBT+ friends and colleagues, learn more about LGBT+ history, and show your support for inclusivity and diversity across the spectrum.
"Raise awareness, get involved, educate yourself and most importantly, be kind."
How do I get involved?
With the Covid-19 pandemic making for an uncertain and often unsettling past couple of years for us all, most in-person Pride celebrations were understandably unable to go ahead.
This year though, many of the larger Pride marches in towns and cities across the UK are back on, and our PROUD staff network have put together a list of the key dates for your diary, so you can join in the fun too, at a place near you.
Here are some of the dates of Pride events near to some of our office locations:
To find more Pride events near you, you can check out this helpful link .
Happy Pride Month! ??
Kat