History of Pride Month, Pride Flag and meaning of the col
ors on the flag.
June has been recognized as LGBTQ Pride month to honor the Stonewall riots that took place in New York City in June
of 1969. This riot was a tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the United States. At first in the United States, the last Sunday in June was celebrated as Gay Pride day
but the day is flexible. As time went on, major cities soon grew to have month long series of events. Today many celebrations include parades, picnics, parties, workshops, symposia and concerts thus attracting millions of people around the world. During this month there are also memorials for those whose lives have been lost to hate crimes or HIV/AIDS. The month's purpose is to recognize the impact that individuals from the LGBTQIA community have had in history on a local, national and international level.
According to to the Library of Congress website:
"In 1994, a coalition of education-based organizations in the United States designated October as LGBT History Month. In 1995, a resolution passed by the General Assembly of the National Education Association included LGBT History Month within a list of commemorative months. National Coming Out Day (October 11), as well as the first "March on Washington" in 1979, are commemorated in the LGBTQ community during LGBT History Month."
Artist Gilbert Baker, who was openly gay and also a drag queen, was the man who designed the original pride flag. Harvey Milk, one of the first openly gay elected officials in the United States encouraged him to create a symbol of pride for the community. Baker decided to make the symbol a flag because he saw flags as a powerful symbol of pride. He felt that the flag would create visibility for the community to be able to show who they are with pride. The colors symbolize different things. According to Britannica.com, the colors mean the following: hot pink represents sex, red represents life, orange is for healing, yellow is for sunlight, green is for nature, turquoise is for art, indigo is for harmony and violet is for spirit. The first version of the flag were flown on June 25, 1978. They were hand made by Baker and a team of volunteers. His plan was to have it mass produced but due to issues in producing them, some of the colors were removed (turquois and indigo) and replaced by basic blue. This resulted in the present day six (6) striped color flag.
It wasn't until 1994 that the rainbow flag was truly established as the symbol for LGBTQ pride. Baker made a mile long flag for commemoration of the 25 year anniversary of the Stonewall riots. In present times it is now the international symbol for LGBTQ pride.
Sources: How did the Rainbow Flag become a symbol of LGBTQ Pride? - Britannica.com
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Pride Month - Library of Congress
According to Merriam-Webster, LGBTQIA stand for the following: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or questioning (one's gender or sexual identity), intersex and asexual, aromantic, or agender.
Source: Merriam-Webster.com definition of LGBTQIA
But for some these terms may require further explanation so as to gain understanding and also to learn. Taken from the website, OutRight, the definitions are as follows:
LGBTQIA – Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and/or Questioning, Intersex, and Asexual and/or Ally.
Lesbian – This term refers to a woman who is sexually and/or emotionally attracted to other women.
Gay – This term refers to a man who is sexually and/or emotionally attracted to other men.
Bisexual – This term refers to someone who is sexually and/or emotionally attracted to more than one gender. This used to exclusively mean attraction to men and women. More recently the term “bisexual” is used to refer to someone who is attracted to two or more genders out of the many gender identities. Gender identity is the internal perception of one’s gender and how a person labels themselves, based on how they align or do not align with what they understand gender to be. There are many gender identities, such as man, woman, non-binary, genderqueer, genderfluid, or transgender.
Transgender – This term is used to describe someone whose gender identity or expression does not conform to what is expected based on the sex they were assigned at birth. Gender expression is the behavior, mannerisms, interests, and appearance a person uses to express their gender in a particular cultural context. The term transgender encompasses many different gender identities (more on this later in this posting), and transgender people have different sexual orientations, some may identify as straight, while others may identify as LGB.
Queer – Queer is often used as an umbrella term referring to anyone who is not straight and not cisgender. Cisgender people are people whose gender identity and expression matches the sex they were assigned at birth. Historically the term queer was used as a slur against LGBTQIA people, but in recent years it has been reclaimed by LGBTIQ communities. However, some LGBTIQA people still find the term offensive. Queer is also often used as a broad rejection of labels. In this context, this could be a rejection of any type of label, but most often refers to a rejection of labels for gender and sexual orientation.
Questioning – This term refers to someone who is not sure how they identify. Someone can be questioning their sexual orientation and/or their gender identity.
Intersex – This term refers to people who naturally have biological traits which do not match what is typically identified as male or female. There are many different intersex variations. Some intersex people have XXY chromosomes, some have ambiguous genitalia or internal sex organs. Some intersex people have internal sex organs or hormones released during puberty which don’t match their genitalia. Being intersex is a naturally occurring variation in humans; it is not pathological. Being intersex is not linked to sexual orientation or gender identity; intersex people can have different sexual orientations and gender identities and expressions.
Asexual – Often referred to as “Ace”, this is an umbrella term used for individuals who do not experience, or experience a low level, of sexual desire. This identity can include those who are interested in having romantic relationships, and those who are not. People of different sexual orientations and gender identities can be asexual.
Ally – People who identify as cisgender and straight, and believe in social and legal equality for LGBTIQ+ people are allies. In many contexts, the “A” in LGBTQIA will only refer to Asexual people. The “A” is more likely to be short for both Ally and Asexual when LGBTQIA is being used to talk about a broader community that believes in the human rights of LGBTIQ people.
There is further expansion from LGBTQIA, but for this guide we will just list these definitions. If you'd like to learn more, please visit the site OutRight Action International website for more definitions and terminology.
Source: LGBTQIA Acronyms explained. - OutRight Action International
What were the Stonewall Riots? What caused them?
Known as the Stonewall Riots or the Stonewall Uprising, it began early on June 28, 1969. New York City Police raided the Stonewall Inn, which was a gay club in Greenwich Village. This raid sparked a riot amongst bar patrons and residents of this neighborhood because police hauled workers and patrons from this bar. This lead to six (6) days of protests and clashing with the police outside of this bar which is on Christopher Street. It also included neighboring streets and Christopher Park. This served as the catalyst to begin the Gay Rights Movement in the United States and worldwide.
During the 1960's and preceding decades, members of the LGBT community were not treated kindly. It was actually illegal to solicit same sex relations in New York City at one point. Since this was the case, people flocked to gay clubs and bars to be able to express themselves openly and to seek refuge. The New York State Liquor Authority frequently shut down and penalized these establishments citing that the gathering of homosexuals was considered disorderly. With the help of activists, this was overturned in 1966 and LGBT patrons could not be served alcohol legally. However, public displays of affection between gays was still considered illegal, so police would continue to harass gay bars. Some bars still continued to operate illegally if they were owned by the mafia.
Stonewall Inn and how it had ties to the Mafia
The mob saw an opportunity to profit from the gay community who has pretty much been shunned. The Genovese crime family had control over most of the Greenwich Village gay bars. They purchased Stonewall Inn, which used to be a straight bar and restaurant, quickly renovated it then reopened it the following year as a gay bar. They registered Stonewall Inn as a private bottle bar which means patrons could bring their own liquor, thus not requiring a liquor license. This family bribed the 6th Precinct of NYC police so they ignored anything that were taking place within this bar. The reason they did this is so they could cut costs and to be able to get away with things that other bars could not. For example, this bar did not have a fire exit and it lacked running water to wash glasses. The mafia family was also blackmailing some of its wealthier patrons by keeping their sexuality a secret.
As a result, Stonewall Inn soon became an institution for the gay community. This bar allowed drag queens, who were usually shunned from other bars and it was cheap to enter. it became a refuge for homeless and runaway gay youth. Finally it also was one of the few that still allowed dancing. Raids still occurred but the bribed officers would manage to tip the bar off so they could hide anything that would be deemed illegal.
The Legacy of Stonewall Inn
Stonewall Inn, did not start the gay rights movement but it was a pivotal force for LGBT activism which lead to the creation of several gay rights organizations. Some of them are the following: Gay Liberation Front, Human Rights Campaign, GLAAD, and PFLAG. In 2016, President Barack Obama designated the site of the riots (Stonewall Inn, Christopher Park, and surrounding streets and sidewalks) as a national monument to recognize the area's contribution to gay rights.
Source: Stonewall Riots - History.com