Celebrate Pride 2018
It’s that time of year again…Pride Month! We want to kick off our celebration of Pride 2018 by talking a bit about the origins of Pride Month.
The first Pride March was in 1970, and it was organized to commemorate the Stonewall Riots of 1969. The riots, which took place at the Stonewall Inn – a gay bar in Greenwich Village – marked a turning point in American history, and they were pivotal in the fight for LGBTQ rights. At the time, homosexuality was a crime, and patrons of the Stonewall Inn had been harassed by police for years. When the police arrived to make arrests on June 28, 1969, those inside did not go quietly and rioted instead. The riots brought prominent attention to the issue of homophobic discrimination and helped launch a much larger LGBTQ movement that continued to spread throughout the U.S.
That’s why every year the month of June is designated as Pride Month, and we take time not only to celebrate LGBTQ pride, but also to continue the protesting and activism that started it all. Pride has always been a mix of celebration and protest because despite progress, the LGBTQ community is still fighting for equality. Our culture is significantly more accepting than it was back in 1969, but our current political climate has once again highlighted the need for Pride as a month of political activism, not just celebration. Below you can find just a few great resources for getting aware and involved in LGBTQ activism this Pride Month.
Pride event Port Townsend WA 2017
Throughout the month we will continue to celebrate Pride, as well as call attention to some of the challenges the movement is still facing. And for those in our neck of the woods, we are a sponsor of Jefferson County Pride. If you just happen to be in or near Port Townsend Washington tomorrow (6/16) stop downtown between noon and 3pm and say hello!
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