PRIDE 2021
by: Natalia Rice, Equity Officer, New View Alliance
June is Pride Month! Keep reading to learn about how we can celebrate Pride and champion LGBTQ+ rights and equality not only this month, but all year long.
Celebrating Pride
LGBTQ+ Pride Month is celebrated annually in June to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall Uprising. In the early morning of Saturday, June 28th, 1969, police raided the Stonewall Inn, a bar in New York City’s Greenwich Village. The Stonewall Inn had become one of very few “safe” spaces for members of the city’s LGBTQ+ community, in particular LGBTQ+ youth who were homeless due to non-acceptance from families. The raid on Stonewall was not spontaneous, but rather the latest in a series of targeted raids and anti-LGBTQ+ harassment. In addition to arresting the bar’s employees, police officers singled out drag queens, cross-dressers, and transgender patrons for arrest.
In a display of “enough is enough,” bar patrons and community members fought back. These six days of protests, demonstrations, and conflicts with law enforcement would become known as the Stonewall Uprising (also known as the Stonewall Riots or Stonewall Rebellion). While historical accounts of Stonewall vary, the response marked a pivotal moment in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights, justice, and equality and is widely regarded as the catalyst for the modern LBGTQ+ rights movement. To honor and commemorate Stonewall, June was chosen as Pride Month.
While progress has been made for LGBTQ+ rights and equality, there is still much work to be done. Pride is a time to appreciate community and diversity, celebrate and honor the progress that has been made in the LGBTQ+ community, take action to continue the work towards intersectional equity and justice, and champion love, inclusivity, and unity.
A Handful of Resources to Honor, Commemorate, and Celebrate Pride:
Participate in Buffalo Pride Week!
While this year’s programming has gone virtual, click here to visit the official website for Buffalo Pride Week, learn about the history of Pride in Buffalo, and discover upcoming community events!
Support, visit, and lean into local LGBTQ+ advocacy and resource centers, such as the Pride Center of WNY, GLYS WNY, and PFLAG
Image from GLYS WNY
Want to learn more about the Stonewall Uprising and Pride? Watch Stonewall Forever: A Documentary about the Past, Present, and Future of Pride for free online
Pick up one, some, or all of these books by LGBTQ+ authors or 59 picture books that celebrate Pride
Are you a “podcast person”? Here are a few listening choices:
Making Gay History
One from the Vaults
Image from GLYS WNY LGBTQ&A
Lovett or Leave It
Queery with Cameron Esposito
For the Girls!
Check out the It Gets Better Project
The It Gets Better Project’s mission is to uplift, empower, and connect lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) youth around the globe.