June 3, 2021
June is LGBTQ Pride Month
June is recognized as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer, or LGBTQ, Pride Month. It is a celebration of all sexualities and gender identities.
This month marks the significance of the Stonewall Riots in New York City on June 28, 1969. The event was a benchmark of awareness for the LGBTQ community and led to a surge of advocacy and progress over the decades. This advocacy and progress come from the struggles and the protests led by Black/Latino/Hispanic transgender and gender nonbinary revolutionaries who demanded progress for all of the LGBTQ community.
LGBTQ Pride Month represents and celebrates the lives, stories and experiences of queer people around the globe who have achieved so much in the face of adversity. The LGBTQ community has faced decades of homophobia and transphobia but has shown resilience in the face of the AIDS epidemic, discrimination laws, legislation targeting sex and gender identity and much more. In June we celebrate the perseverance of those who history has erased, those who have led our communities to speak up and out, and those in the future who can live more openly and authentically.
Make space this month to learn the history of the LGBTQ community. Educate yourself on authentic allyship and give your time/money/labor to support the community and those most in need. Be an outspoken and visible ally. Remember that many are not able to be visible and affirming of their identities and your support as an ally can provide hope and courage. Honor those who came before us and those who are just starting to navigate their journey of self-discovery. June is a celebration of queer perseverance, love, defiance, history, struggle, achievement, and so much more. Celebrate LGBTQ Pride throughout the year, not only in June.
Please watch the LGBT Resource Center website and the center's social media accounts for upcoming Safe Zone events recognizing June as LGBTQ Pride Month and for community events.