First, let me just say that I have absolutely no idea how we are already halfway through 2021. I feel like January was just last week. However, I am proud to announce that it is June, and that means that it is Pride Month! Gay Pride, or LGBTQIA+ Pride is defined as the promotion of the self-affirmation, dignity, equality, and increasing visibility of the LGBTQIA+ community as a social group. And it is especially important to me, as someone who identifies as being part of the LGBTQIA+ community, and as an ally!
In the past, Pride has been called somewhat carnivalesque, and are typically held during Pride Month! Which is something that I can personally attest to, as last year when Angel was here, we went to the Woodstock Pride Promenade! It was incredible. There’s just no other word for it. It was my first time ever seeing a live drag show, we went into the shops, walked around, got to see everyone all dressed up. It was absolutely amazing. If she were here and my leg was not fucked up, I guarantee we’d be at the Pride Promenade again.
Maybe next year?
For those of you who do not know, in the early morning of Saturday, June 28th, 1969, LGBT persons rioted following a police raid on the Stonewall Inn; a gay bar at 43 Christopher Street in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York City. This riot and further protests and rioting over the following nights were the key moment in the modern LGBTQIA+ rights movement and the beginning of Pride marches on a much larger and public scale.
No one knows who threw the first brick at Stonewall. Originally, it was thought to be a transgender woman of color named Marsha P. Johnson but, she denied that while alive. She did, however, play a noticeably big role in the gay liberation movement in the U.S. and so her name should still be celebrated, whether she threw that brick or not! We would not have the same rights that we do today, if it weren’t for her bravery!
If you want to learn more, I highly suggest doing your research!
So happy Pride Month everyone!
For those of you going to parades and events, please be safe, have fun, and take lots of pictures with the people you love. You never know how long you have together, and it’s always incredible to have something to look back on!
-Sky
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