June is Pride Month!
Every year the beginning of June turns our black and white world into brilliant shades and hues of the rainbow. Why? June is the beginning of Pride month, celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community. Members of the community as well as ally’s celebrate love being love with parades, pride symbols and clothing, drag brunches, and other celebrations for visibility. It is as much of a celebration as it is continuing advocacy for equal human rights and the pursuit of happiness.
Many may be unfamiliar with the history of pride. Here’s a brief timeline to familiarize you with pride’s origins.
June 28th, 1969 was the day of the Stonewall riots; the very event that sparked the pride movement. In Greenwich village, the police raided Stonewall Inn, a haven for the LGBTQIA+ community. On this hot summer night, the community and ally’s fought back, and in the nights following, people continued to protest on the streets. The following year, there was a march in Central Park. Those first formative years laid the foundation to what Pride is today: both celebration and activism.
Here’s a helpful timeline of notable LGBTQIA+ History from the Stonewall Riots through to today:
1969- The Stonewall Riots
1970 – The First Pride March
1973- APA classified homosexuality as a mental disorder
1978 – The rainbow flag makes first appearance at a pride event
1979 – National march on Washington for Gay and Lesbian rights
1979 - Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) was founded
1981 – AIDS epidemic begins
1987 – APA removed homosexuality as a mental disorder
1988 – World AIDS day on December 1st
1993 – Bill Clinton signed “Don’t ask, don’t tell” into law.
1996 – Defense of marriage act (DOMA) was signed into law by Clinton
1998- Matthew Shepheard was murdered during a hate crime. ( Matt Shepard is a Friend of Mine - YouTube)
2008 – Proposition 8 was passed in California defining marriage between a man and a woman.
2009 - Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act signed by Obama.
2010 – Repeal of “Don’t ask, don’t tell”
2013 – Repeal of DOMA
2015 – Marriage equality
2021 – Texas signs banning trans youth from competing in sports into law.
2022 – Don’t say gay bill in Florida.
As the timeline shows, there have been peaks and valleys for the LGBTQIA+ community, and the continued need for pride both as a celebration and for advocacy. There are no right or wrong ways to celebrate pride or to be an ally.
Here are a few suggestions for how to celebrate pride in 2022:
Attend a Pride festival! Fairfield county’s pride festival will be June 11th 12pm-9pm at Matthew’s Park in Norwalk. This is a great time to meet others in the community, to come as you are, and to have a day of celebration.
Join a support group for mental health. We will be offering several group options during pride month such as: The alphabet group for high school students, The alphabet group for adults, and a parent workshop to support LGBTQIA+ family members. If you prefer one on one support, schedule an appointment with one of our LGBTQIA+ affirming therapist.
Consume new LGBTQIA+ media. During pride month, there are always new books, podcasts, blog posts, tv shows, and movies being released. Grab your favorite coffee beverage and curl up on the couch to enjoy new representation.
Support local businesses. There are LGBTQIA+ businesses in the community that would love your support. You can usually look up what businesses are in the area, or most will have a pride symbol in their store.
Attend an LGBTQIA+ specific work out class. I frequent Solidcore, and they are having LGBTQIA+ classes that benefit the Marsha P. Johnson Institute, a non profit organization for black transgender people.
Celebrate pride in a way that makes sense for you. Personally, I am not a rainbow kind of person, but I like to go places with my partner that makes me feel safe. Pride means something different to everyone, and it is okay if how you celebrate doesn’t look the same as someone else.
Contributed by Kim Neat, LPC
