A New Day: Pride

6.10.2019

Pride

I'm sure you've picked up on the fact that its LGBTQAI Pride Month. I know it can be a little crazy come June, when all the merchandise in stores is suddenly rainbow colors (and please don't get me started on pandering and commercializing... but in short: ask your retailer if any of the profits from this merch is going to LGBT initiatives, and if not, shop elsewhere!)... but a quick lesson on why Pride is important.

In the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, trans women of color, homeless LGBTQ teens, lesbians, drag queens, gay men, and allies took a stand. What had started out as an all-too-routine police raid of the Stonewall Inn in New York City sparked a riot that turned into a multi-night uprising on the streets of Greenwich Village. It wasn’t the first time LGBTQ people fought back against oppression, but the Stonewall uprising ignited a mass movement that quickly spread across the U.S. and around the globe. It was a catalyst that turned fear and anger into something new, something proud, something revolutionary.

Pride 2019 marks 50 years since the Stonewall Uprising of June 1969, in which members of the LGBTQ community — led by two trans women of color (Marsha P. Johnson & Sylvia Rivera) — fought back against harassment from the police at the Stonewall Inn in New York City’s Greenwich Village. Throughout the month, keep in mind that Pride started as a protest. It is also important to note, that there is still an epidemic of violence against Trans individuals, and especially Black trans women. In 2018, there were at least 26 deaths of trans people in the U.S. due to fatal violence, the majority of whom were Black trans women. This year, at least five Black trans women have already been fatally shot or killed by other violent means.