Pride Month
Photo by Mercedes Mehling on Unsplash.
Happy Pride Month!
June marks the start of the month-long celebration and recognition of the LGBTQ+ community and the history of the LGBTQ+ struggle for civil rights and acceptance.
Why Pride Month falls in June is attributed to the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Greenwich Village, New York City. On June 28, a police raid at the Stonewall Inn, a haven for LGBTQ+ people, led to protests and clashes between patrons and law enforcement. This was not anomaly but rather a culmination of constant anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination, harassment and violence.
While the fight for LGBTQ+ rights, acceptance and recognition is far older than Stonewall, this major event brought more mainstream attention to the movement and led to more organizing.
The LGBTQ+ struggle is ongoing. When taking in current events, it’s important to use an intersectional lens and understand the unique ways they impact LGBTQ+ people. For instance, the recent attack on bodily autonomy in the U.S. with Roe v. Wade will impact LGBTQ+ people, and is a major hit to the struggle that champions bodily autonomy and civil rights for all. Further, anti-Black police violence disproportionately impacts Black trans people, particularly Black trans women.
To learn more, check out the resources below!
Articles
2SLGBTQIA+ Black Indigenous People Of Color Voices In History (The Canadian Centre for Gender + Sexual Diversity)
Gay Asians of Toronto were pioneers of diversity in Pride (CBC)
History of Canadian Pride (History of Canadian Pride, Queer Events)
June is International Pride Month, BC Alliance for Arts + Culture (BC Alliance for Arts + Culture)
LGBTQ Rights section on TruthOut
Queer Canadian Timeline — Pre-colonization To Present (The Canadian Centre for Gender + Sexual Diversity)
Queer and Disabled Artists and Activists to Know (Posabilities)
Two-Spirit Community (LGBTQ+ Health)
Violence Against the Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Community in 2020 (HRC)
