Everything You Need to Know About Pride Month
Starting with the Stonewall Uprising in June 1969, Pride Month both commemorates and celebrates LGBTQ+ activism and culture through the years
June is Pride Month, and though the LGBTQ+ community continues to face an uphill battle — the ACLU reports there are currently 515 pieces of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation being floated around the U.S. — there is still much to celebrate.
“We mustn’t let increasing discriminatory legislation taking place around the world hold us back," EGOT winner and LGBTQ+ rights activist Elton John told PEOPLE in May 2024. "Let’s lead with acceptance and joy this Pride Month and encourage everyone to be who they are and to love who they love without shame or fear."
According to the Library of Congress, the month recognizes the impact that the community has had on U.S. history. Former President Bill Clinton first designated it as Gay and Lesbian Pride Month on June 11, 1999, with former President Barack Obama proclaiming it Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month 10 years later. (However, Pride welcomes all identities within the LGBTQ+ community, including asexual, pansexual, intersex, nonbinary, allies and more.)
Read on for more about Pride, and why it continues to be an important part of U.S. history.
What Is Pride Month?
Pride Month is an entire month dedicated to the uplifting of LGBTQ+ voices, a celebration of LGBTQ+ culture and the support of LGBTQ+ rights. Throughout the month of June, nationwide, there have traditionally been parades, protests, drag performances, live theater and memorials and celebrations of life for members of the community who lost their lives to HIV/AIDS. It is part political activism, part celebration of all the LGBTQ+ community has achieved over the years.
What Is the Pride Symbol?
You probably knew that the rainbow flag — created by artist Gilbert Baker in 1978 — is used as a symbol of LGBTQ+ pride, but did you know that each color on the flag has its own meaning? In the widely known six-color flag, red is symbolic of life, orange is symbolic of healing, yellow is sunshine, green is nature, blue represents harmony and purple is spirit. In the original eight-color flag, hot pink was included to represent sex and turquoise to represent magic/art.
There have been many variations on the flag. In 2021, the flag was altered by graphic designer Daniel Quasar to honor intersectional identities within the community, including black to represent diversity, brown to represent inclusivity and light blue, pink and white, which are the colors of the trans pride flag. That same year, activist Valentino Vecchietti added the intersex flag to Quasar's Progress Pride Flag, with yellow portraying those who do not fit the gender binary and the purple circle symbolizing the wholeness of the intersex community.
Related: Notable Figures & Moments in Pride Month History, from Gilbert Baker to Alan Turing
Why Do We Celebrate in June?
We celebrate in June to coincide with the catalyst of the Gay Liberation Movement, which was the Stonewall Uprising. In the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, police raided a popular gay bar in N.Y.C.'s West Village, the Stonewall Inn. This was commonplace for the time, but on this particular evening, the patrons of the bar fought back, starting the Stonewall Riots, which went on for days.
The Stonewall Inn was declared a historic landmark by the city of New York in 2015 and later named a national monument by former President Barack Obama in 2016.
This June is the 54th anniversary of the first Pride parade, which happened in 1970, one year after the uprising.
Sham Ibrahim
MTV star Sham Ibrahim“As a proud transgender American, I feel that pride is more important than ever this year," Sham Ibrahim, TV personality from MTV's Catfish, told PEOPLE in 2023. "Our community has had to fight hard against discrimination in the past, and 2023 is no different. While we have made so much progress since the days of Stonewall, discrimination still exists — especially against the transgender community."
Who Were the Major Figures Involved?
Marsha P. Johnson is often credited with throwing the first punch at the Stonewall Inn (though there are many prominent figures who are also rumored to have done so). She was a Black trans woman celebrating her 25th birthday at the time of the riots and a tour de force in the gay community. She died in 1992 at just 46 years old after police found her body in the Hudson River — her death was initially ruled a suicide, despite friends and loved ones insisting that could not be the case.
Sylvia Rivera was an activist and self-professed drag queen who also played a part in the Stonewall Riots. She fought for transgender rights alongside Johnson, creating S.T.A.R. (Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries) to help house homeless LGBTQ+ youth. She advocated for transgender rights until she died in 2002.
Stormé DeLarverie was a gay rights activist and drag performer who was also at Stonewall when it was raided that night. Her friend, Lisa Cannistraci, told The New York Times upon her death in 2014, “Nobody knows who threw the first punch, but it’s rumored that she did, and she said she did. She told me she did.”
Here are some easy ways to celebrate Pride:
March! Past years saw many Pride celebrations canceled amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but this year many Pride marches are in person. Just make sure to check your state and local guidelines. This year's Pride theme is “Reflect. Empower. Unite." "Remember, Pride started as a protest!" Ibrahim told PEOPLE in 2023. "Even if you are not a member of the LGBTQ+ community, it’s important to stand in solidarity with your fellow Americans and show support!”
Get involved! Whether it's working for a phone or text bank or attending town halls virtually, make your voice known! "The easiest way to celebrate pride is to stand up and be counted," Ibrahim added. "Show your pride the old-fashioned way by attending a Pride parade or by posting on social media!"
Donate! A few organizations you can contribute to are: the Human Rights Campaign, The Trevor Project, the Pride Fund to End Gun Violence, the National Center for Trans Equality, GLSEN, the National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network and so many more.
Consume LGBTQ+ media! Although there's still progress to be made, positive LGBTQ+ representation has significantly increased over the years, giving you plenty of material for Pride Month (and all year round). Whether it's movies, music, TV shows, books, podcasts or art, you can engage with LGBTQ+ voices in your day-to-day media use.
Shop! While many big corporations are guilty of rainbow washing — a marketing tactic using LGBTQ+ symbols for profit, without backing it up with any meaningful action — you can show your support by shopping from businesses owned by LGBTQ+ individuals, such as Wildfang, That Gay Guy Candle Company, Good Light, Equator Coffees and more. (Use this map to find a local LGBTQ+ business near you!)
Educate yourself! Deepen your knowledge of LGBTQ+ history and culture by exploring nonfiction books (We Are Everywhere: Protest, Power, and Pride in the History of Queer Liberation, Female Husbands: A Trans History), watching documentaries (1984's Before Stonewall, 1990's Paris Is Burning, Visible: Out on Television) or researching through verified online sources (GLBT Historical Society, Teaching LGBTQ History).
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