Pride Month 2023

(Image Description: A graphic is shown where several people are waving pride flags, with its rainbow colors representing the LGBTQ+ community. Fireworks are displayed in the background.)

Pride Month 2023

Believe it or not, we are more than halfway through Pride Month! Celebrated each June, this month is meant to commemorate members of the LGBTQ+ community while honoring several individuals who have advanced the rights and lives of LGBTQ+ people. In this blog, I'll be delving into the history of Pride Month while also giving some tips to advance your allyship and commitment towards the LGBTQ+ community.

History

According to the Library of Congress, "Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) Pride Month is currently celebrated each year in the month of June to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan." On June 28, 1969, police raided the Stonewall Inn, a bar with various LGBTQ+ patrons. As a means of protest, customers stood their ground against the police that night and in the following days. This event represented a major turning point in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights, since being openly queer in the 1960s was heavily stigmatized and prohibited in the U.S.

(Image Description: Customers at the Stonewall Inn are shown rioting and protesting against police forces who stormed the bar on June 28, 1969.)

To commemorate the Stonewall Uprising, Pride Month initially started as Gay Pride Day, observed every last Sunday in June. However, with increasing awareness and activities built into June, the day quickly evolved into a month: LGBTQ+ Pride Month. Later, in 1999, President Bill Clinton nationally declared June as Pride Month to recognize and remember important LGBTQ+ trailblazers.

Now, in 2023, you can find a celebration of Pride Month in virtually any major city across the U.S. and around the world! These festivals are meant to support the LGBTQ+ community and bring people together for Pride Month. Over the years, these events have had massive turnouts. For instance, in 2006, the Sao Paulo Pride Parade in Brazil had the world-record largest turnout of 2.5 million people!

How to Celebrate Pride Month

There are countless that you can show your support for the LGBTQ+ community during this special month. Here are some tips I have to celebrate and honor Pride Month.

1. Add pronouns to your email signature and/or social media. This is a simple step to becoming a stronger ally to the LGBTQ+ community. By sharing your own pronouns and addressing others by their preferred pronouns, you are reaffirming that person's identity while also creating a more inviting and accepting space.

2. Attend a Pride Festival near you. As prefaced earlier, these events are a great way to celebrate Pride Month while simultaneously educating yourself on LGBTQ+ historical icons. At many of these festivals, there will be special guest artists and performers, so I encourage you to check out what's available in your region!

3. Support LGBTQ-owned businesses near you. Map and restaurant services like Google and Yelp have recently added the "LGBTQ-owned" tag, so you can easily filter LGBTQ-owned businesses in your area! This is the perfect way to try out a new local store or restaurant while supporting LGBTQ+ people in the workplace.

4. Educate yourself on famous LGBTQ+ icons. Whether you may know them or not, there are countless LGBTQ+ celebrities and trailblazers, including Miley Cyrus, Lil Nas X, Elton John, Walt Whitman, and Marsha P. Johnson, to name a few. Since Pride Month is all about learning about the LGBTQ+ community, this is a great time to do so. Check out your news sources or simply watch a new show on Netflix that features LGBTQ+ actors!

5. Read novels by prolific LGBTQ+ authors. There are so many great reads you can find by notable LGBTQ+ authors, from autobiographies to fictional stories. Some books I enjoyed reading were The Color Purple by Alice Walker and On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong.

6. Create an inclusive atmosphere for LGBTQ+ family and friends. This is arguably the most effective and transformative tip of them all, since practicing kindness and respect toward LGBTQ+ people can make all the difference. After all, the Best Buddies mission is about advancing inclusion, and Pride Month similarly honors the power of empathy and understanding in creating a more inclusive society for all.

Thanks for reading, and Happy Pride!

In friendship,

Nathan Moldavsky

YLC Member, Wisconsin