Why do we need to celebrate Pride in 2024?

Since 1970 various countries worldwide have gathered in June to celebrate pride but I find that often the idea of pride is misunderstood and its importance is not recognised.

What is the purpose of Pride? Why are we celebrating Pride in 2024? Surely things are not the same as they were in 1970? And why do we not celebrate straight pride?

New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago had their first Pride marches on June 28, 1970, one year after the Stonewall Uprising began. Thousands of LGBT+ individuals came together to honor Stonewall and stage a protest for equal rights.

On June 28, 1969, police invaded the Stonewall Inn, a well-known gay pub in Manhattan's Greenwich Village, sparking the start of the Stonewall Uprising. A change in LGBTQI+ activism in the United States is attributed to the ensuing protests.

You can read more about the Stonewall uprising here .

What is Pride and why do we celebrate it?

Ultimately Pride is a chance to reflect, celebrate, and plan.

Over 40 countries across the world continue to punish acts deemed as homosexual with prison and countries like Yemen, Nigeria and Iran continue to enforce the death penalty on LGBTQI+ people.

Hate crimes are common in every single country in the world and many hate incidents often go unreported. Verbal and physical attacks frequently follow any public displays of affection by members of the same sex.

Kids are often subjected to extreme bullying at school without the intervention of teachers.

Many elderly LGBTQI+ individuals are afraid to disclose their gender identity or sexual orientation, particularly those with dementia and Alzheimer's disease who are entering residential care. When they are most alone and vulnerable, they frequently fear that employees, residents, and guests may mistreat or abuse them.

Pride is a key movement in supporting our communities and educating those around us.

We need more allies and leaders both within the LGBTQI+ community and outside of it to fight for the rights of equality and for people to have an equal standard of living, particularly one without fear.

Pride is a chance to challenge homophobic/transphobic legislation and ideals.

Pride is a chance to empower people to fight for their human rights.

Pride is a chance to create and fight for a more equal and accepting society for all.

Why do we not celebrate straight pride?

It comes down to a number of rather simple explanations - The LGBTQI+ community is marginalised and has been repressed throughout history, one way to counter this is through increased awareness. Pride fights for the right of equality for all - it is not just about celebrating your sexuality.

Author Craig Rozniecki writes:

“Every day is a straight pride parade.”

Concerningly, in 2019, Boston did hold a straight pride parade . The conservative-aligned marchers began at Copley Square, with a "Trump bridge" acting as the main float. Many of the marchers were sporting "Make America Great Again" hats and other Trump-related apparel. While Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the U.S.A." boomed from speakers, they waved both the Israeli and American flags. You can decide your opinion on this..

My favourite is the article from the Burnett Foundation covering ten things to say to a straight pride supporter, a few are highlighted below:

“Don’t straight people have 364 days a year of unopposed privilege? And now, on the 365th day, they’d like to celebrate having that privilege year-round”

“Can you honestly say you feel discriminated against for being straight? Better yet, name one country where you can legally be murdered for being straight – we’ll wait.”

“Isn’t Straight Pride Parade just code for, ‘I’m too scared to openly say I hate gay people’?”

What does Pride mean to me?

I live as an openly gay man and yet I have had the true blessing of being surrounded by some incredible and accepting friends and family members. Coming out and embracing my full self took some time and that was down to the society around me.

Pride did not exist in Lithuania. When I was a child, gay men were viewed as pedophiles and rapists. It was a brutal reality, especially as a kid trying to figure out why you feel and think differently to the people around you.

We are so often pushed this negative imagery onto us when the reality is completely different.

Pride was eye-opening, my first Pride march was the 50th anniversary march in London and the very first people who led the parade held signs “I was there in 1972” with many of them paving the way over the last 50 years with their activism. It was beautiful and empowering. It was also an incredibly welcoming space with smiles on everyone’s face and joy felt across the city.

Pride to me is a chance to celebrate the beauty of our differences. There is so much strength in a community and it is so important for us to feel the validation for our right to live freely and openly. We should not have to hide any parts of ourselves and importantly, we need to recognise that our voice has the same value as everyone else. We have to continue showing our support, many legislations are under review with numerous areas of the world taking a step back in their progress - we mustn't become passive in our activism.

Do you celebrate Pride? Perhaps this will be your first march? Either way, I am keen to hear from you!

In my next edition, I will tackle the overview of LGBTQI+ laws and rights in the EU, how they have changed, and where attention must be drawn.

Stay tuned!