Happy Pride Month! Whether you identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ movement, as an ally, or as none of the above, it is important to understand the origins of Pride as we now know it.
On July 4th, 1964, a group of a dozen or so people, clad in business casual attire, gathered in front of Independence Hall in Philadelphia. The group was led by Frank Kameny, who had been fired from his federal government job due to his sexuality in 1957. Over the course of his life, he held small demonstrations throughout the country, called The Annual Reminder, and advocated for equal rights and acceptance. However, the tone of gay activism changed greatly after a raid of the Stonewall Inn in New York City.
What came to be known as the Stonewall Riots, began as a routine raid of a well-known gay club. In the early hours of the morning on June 28th, 1969, police raided the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village. In 1969 this was a pretty common occurrence, as the mayor was attempting to: clean up the city” before the World’s Fair later that year. The Stonewall Inn had been raided many times before, but this time was different. Patrons fought back against the police brutality, and a riot ensued. Police cars were overturned, tires slashed, people were hit with nightsticks and batons. The riots continued through the night and began again the next night, and the next night. It was clear that something needed to change.
A few days after the raid occurred, a local, gay bookstore owner bussed a group of people to Philadelphia, to join Kameny in his march The Annual Reminder. In the following years, the march was switched to the date of the Stonewall Riots, as they were perceived as insignificant compared to the Independence Day celebrations occurring on July 4th annually. In 1970, the first “Christopher Street Liberation Parade” brought thousands of people to march from Greenwich Village to Central Park. Solidarity marches occurred throughout the country, and eventually turned into the festival and Pride month that we celebrate now. We at Embrace Change Therapy pride ourselves on being open, inclusive, and welcoming. Let us know if you want to talk, we are here to listen. You are still strong and valuable if you ask for help. https://embracechangetherapy.com/
References:
About: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Pride Month: Library of Congress. (n.d.).
Retrieved from https://www.loc.gov/lgbt-pride-month/about/
Stein, P. (2017, June 10). Pride’s raucous parades began as suit-and-tie protests called the ‘Annual Reminder’. Retrieved from
Stonewall and Its Impact on the Gay Liberation Movement. (n.d.). Retrieved from
