“Our Nation continues to witness a tragic spike in violence against transgender women of color. “For all of our progress, there are many States in which LGBTQ+ individuals still lack protections for fundamental rights and dignity in hospitals, schools, public accommodations, and other spaces,” Biden wrote in his proclamation. Then, from 2009 to 2016, former President Barack Obama declared the month LGBT Pride month, and most recently the Democrat tradition has continued under Biden. “ Pride is both a jubilant communal celebration of visibility and a personal celebration of self-worth and dignity.”įormer President Bill Clinton was the first to declare June “Gay & Lesbian Pride Month” in 1999 and again in 2000.
IS JUNE GAY PRIDE MONTH FULL
Pride is a time to recall the trials the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ+) community has endured and to rejoice in the triumphs of trailblazing individuals who have bravely fought - and continue to fight - for full equality,” President Joe Biden wrote in his proclamation recognizing the month. “The uprising at the Stonewall Inn in June, 1969, sparked a liberation movement - a call to action that continues to inspire us to live up to our Nation’s promise of equality, liberty, and justice for all. Police raids on places gay people congregated were common at the time. On June 28, 1969, police had come to raid the only bar in New York City for gay men that allowed dancing - again - to arrest people for crossdressing and being transgender. The celebration of Pride Month in June began in 1969 with the Stonewall Inn uprising - an event led by Black trans women fighting back against the establishment.