Taking place every June, Pride Month celebrates the self-affirmation, dignity, equality and increased visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. The month-long celebration was given the name “Pride” to encourage those feelings as the community comes together to celebrate and bolster LGBTQ+ rights movements. As people rally together, ET has put together a guide to all things Pride, including a brief history, how to celebrate and support.
How It Started
Before Pride become a celebration, it started out as a protest. June 28, 1969 marks the start of the Stonewall riots in which the queer community responded to a police raid that began at the Stonewall Inn, a bar located in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York, that served as a safe haven for the city’s gay, lesbian and transgender community.
At the time, homosexual acts were deemed illegal in almost every state, and bars and restaurants faced getting shut down for having gay employees or serving gay patrons. While police had raided gay establishments before, on that particular night, members of the LGBTQ community decided to fight back, sparking an uprising that would launch a new era of resistance that would later turn to celebration.
Mark Segal was one of the many LGBTQ people outside Stonewall Inn, where a stand was being taken against the latest police raid of one of the community’s few safe spaces to gather in New York City. Transgender woman and activist Marsha P. Johnson picked up the first brick thrown in rage, kicking off the modern LGBTQ rights movement.
“That night in June of 1969, we felt rage at the police,” Segal told ET’s Denny Directo, as Pride has become a stark reminder that these modern-day celebrations once started as a protest.
“We were enraged because, in a sense, 2,000 years of repression built up in us. And the New York City Police Department that night, when they violently came into Stonewall and beat people up against the wall and extorted money from people, got us angry,” Segal continued.
“And it was that night that we said to the police, ‘We are taking our street back. This is our neighborhood. You are no longer going to control us. You’re no longer going to dominate us. We’re going to create our identity. We’re going to create a community where you wouldn’t allow us to have community,’” Segal said.
Stonewall Riots
NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images
History of Pride in the United States
Why June?
On June 28, 1970, on the first anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, the first Pride parade set off from Stonewall. Gay activists in New York organized the Christopher Street Liberation March to cap off the city’s first Pride Week. Several hundred people started marching up 6th Avenue, toward Central Park. The parade eventually stretched 15 city blocks and encompassed thousands of supporters.
Celebrations Across the Country
Activists in other cities, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston and Chicago, organized Pride celebrations that same year, celebrations that would continue through today.
Origins of the Rainbow Flag
The rainbow flag was popularized as a symbol of the gay community by San Francisco artist Gilbert Baker in 1978. The different colors are often associated with “diversity” in the gay community, but actually have literal meanings. Hot pink, before it was removed, stood for sex; red means life; orange means healing; yellow means sunlight; green means nature; turquoise means magic and art; indigo (later changed to royal blue) means serenity; and violet means spirit. There are several other flags in the LGBTQ+ community, including the transgender flag, pansexual flag and more.
How to Celebrate
With much of the country starting to reopen after the pandemic brought things to a stand still last year, there is a mix of virtual and in-person events taking place. To kick things off, Pride Live, a social advocacy and community engagement organization for the LGBTQ+ community, will have its fourth annual Stonewall Day, a global campaign to elevate awareness and support for the Stonewall rebellion legacy and the continuing fight for full LGBTQ+ equality.
Adam Lambert will curate and perform at the event, which will take place on June 6 at the Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. Also participating in the in-person celebration will be Chelsea Clinton, Kim Petras, Whoopi Goldberg, Angelica Ross, Sam Sparro, VINCINT, Geena Rocero, Ryan Jamaal Swain, George Takei, Keiynan Lonsdale, Chely Wright, and more.
“Community is at the center of our community, literally. Being together is so critical for the LGBTQ community, and that we will have a year this year that we’ll partially be able to be together is so important,” Sarah Kate Ellis, President and CEO of GLAAD, told ET’s Denny Directo. “The pandemic has struck our community disproportionately, because we’re a marginalized community, because we don’t have the same access, and whether it be to healthcare or economics, housing, all of those things. And so, for us to come together and have a moment of celebration, reflection is critical this year. So we’re really excited about Pride and for some small gatherings across the country.”
Additionally, iHeartRadio is hosting their second annual “Can’t Cancel Pride” virtual celebration. The LGBTQ+ relief benefit will be hosted by iHeartMedia on-air personality Elvis Duran, and Bebe Rexha, who will also perform her new single, “Sacrifice,” at the event. Other influential voices in the LGBTQ+ community that are set to make appearances and perform at the virtual Pride celebration include: Demi Lovato, Lil Nas X, Ricky Martin and Brothers Osborne, Busy Philipps, Gus Kenworthy, Hayley Kiyoko, Jennifer Hudson, JoJo Siwa, Marshmello, MJ Rodriguez, Nina West, Pink and more.
Many major cities including New York City, Los Angeles and Seattle are hosting a hybrid of in-person and virtual events throughout the month of June.
