Does my Gay Pride make you uncomfortable? Good.
LGBT people like me have come a long way. We have had to hide their truth for years. Some of us have to do it because our lives depend on it. Some of us hide because we fear rejection and losing our family connections.
Some people are uncomfortable with an LGBT person being okay with their truth. LGBT pride celebrations are not intended to rub sexuality in the noses of those uncomfortable with their own.
LGBT Pride is not an invitation to hate.
History of Gay Pride
LGBT Pride was first celebrated on the 1st anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising. The Stonewall Uprising happened in 1960s Manhattan, NY when LGBT bars and nightclubs would get raided by the police. The police would beat and arrest LGBT people in these bars. On June 28, 1960, the police raided a popular gay bar called The Stonewall Inn. The events of that night sparked the outrage of protests from the community day after day for a little over a week. From there, the LGBT community began rigorously protesting to be acknowledged and accepted and to have their civil rights.
Raids of this type happened throughout the US. In many places, homosexuality was a crime, and so was cross-dressing. The protests after the Stonewall Uprising marked the beginning of the civil rights movement regarding LGBT people in the US.
Gay Pride week was filled with marches, shouts, and people standing in their community, open and proud, to fight for their rights. Pride week was special because it was the first time gay, lesbian, and trans people came out to the forefront of mainstream society in a memorable way.
The first gay pride march in NYC had several thousand participants. The week-long demonstration led up to one day in particular called Christopher Street Day, named after the street the Stonewall Inn was located. Christopher Street Day is the day the march took place for LGBT rights. The rally was to commemorate the Stonewall Uprising. Still, the Christopher Street Day committee decided to set the days leading up to the anniversary to celebrate all groups related to Gays and Lesbians.
Gay Pride week was the birthmark of Christopher Street Day. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots. Every year since then, we have gathered in June to celebrate Pride week, now Pride Month, with celebrations, parties, and pride parades.
No H8
As you can see, LGBT pride month is not about flashing or pushing a gay agenda; if there is an agenda, the agenda has always been for my community to have equal rights.
We deserve to be able to be who we are without being assaulted. Today, we don’t exactly have a problem with the police anymore, but we do have a problem with other people in our society. We still have a problem with equal rights under the law regarding gay adoption and housing. Businesses are still legally allowed to fire us for being LGBT. Stores and shops can refuse to serve us for being LGBT.
(After I first penned this article, The US Supreme Court had since ruled firing LGBT people for their sexuality violates Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Notably, this decision was handed down the very next day after the date of this article, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the first Gay Pride. How wonderful!)
Although we have had pride marches for 50 years, we still have some battles to win.
My Trans sisters are taking the heat in our community. So many are showing up murdered. Civil rights are not just a responsibility for the government to ensure. We have a responsibility to each other not to take someone else’s civil rights. Gay pride month is not just for gay men and women but for others in the queer community too. Gay Pride is also transgender Pride.
My gay Pride is not an invitation for you to hate me. It’s an invitation for you to see me. It’s an invitation for you to acknowledge that I can have the same love that you have.
Hate is in the Fabric of America – We Can Do Better.
When we look at the environment today and hear the black lives matter chants, I can imagine LGBT people had the same sentiment when Gay Pride first began.
America has a freedom problem. America was founded based on freedom and has always had a problem giving that freedom freely to the groups of people it hates the most.
If you have ever been a part of a marginalized community, you should understand LGBT Pride. LGBT Pride week was the catalyst for gay rights in America.
My gay Pride is not an invitation for you to hate me. It’s an invitation for you to see me. It’s an invitation for you to acknowledge that I can have the same love that you have. I can enjoy the same nightlife that you enjoy. We can shop and wear what we choose, just like you can. We bleed the same red blood that you do.
