LGBTQ+ Pride Month

The month of June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month to commemorate the riots held by members of the LGBTQ+ community in response to a police raid that took place at the Stonewall Inn in New York City on June 28th, 1969. It was the tipping point and a rallying cry in the gay rights movement. 

Marsha P. Johnson, Syliva Rivera, Raymond Castro, Storme Delarverie, and Miss Major Griffin-Gracy are hailed as the leaders of the riots. The riots are an example of the impact Black people have had, and continue to have, on the LGBTQ+ rights movement.  

Take the time to reflect and learn more about the racial injustices in the LGBTQ+ community and outside. 39% of LGBTQ+ adults in the U.S. identify as people of color, according to the Williams Institute at UCLA. At least 12 transgender people – among them at least three Black people – have been killed by violent means in 2020, according to the Human Rights Campaign. Most recently, Tony McDade was shot and killed on May 27th by the Tallahassee Police Department in Florida. Just Monday, Iyanna Dior, a Black transgender woman, was beaten inside a store in Minneapolis. 

"Pride is not a one-day affair. It is not a one-month affair," said a DRC member. "And a part of that is very intentionally lifting up the issues and voices and stories of those of us in the community who are not more privileged."

LGBTQ+ Pride Month is not about parades or parties. It is about celebrating who we are and our right to exist without fear of prosecution. We are all deserving of love and acceptance and finding a space to be yourself is essential.