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Pride Month
The month of June is LGBT Pride month - which also celebrates QIA+. I regret not mentioning anything about it in yesterday’s post, but don’t worry, I’ll remedy that today and throughout the month.
Why the month of June? I’m glad you asked. Per Wikipedia, “LGBT Pride Month occurs in the United States to commemorate the Stonewall riots, which occurred at the end of June 1969. As a result, many pride events are held during this month to recognize the impact LGBT people have had in the world.”
So why am I, a straight person, posting about Pride? Because I’m an ally. And I believe in equal rights for all people. It’s important to me to support my LGBTQIA+ friends and co-workers and the community around me. I want to learn and share that knowledge with others. Because that’s what allies do. Pay close attention, you might just learn something.
As I’ve done with some other celebratory and honoring months, I’ll give you a few facts about important and/or interesting things that happened on this day. Today you get a bonus since I missed yesterday. Lucky you!
On June 1 in…
1991 - First “Gay Days” event organized in Walk Disney World in Orlando. About 3,000 gays and lesbians gather, wearing red for visibility. It’s become one of the largest LGBT events in the world. (Ronni Sanlo, Ed.D.)
1994 - A federal judge rules that Col. Margarethe Cammermeyer be reinstated in the Washington State National Guard. She had been discharged from the military for being a lesbian. (Ronni Sanlo, Ed.D.)
2003 - Belgium became the second country in the world (after the Netherlands) to legalize gay marriage. In the Belgian House of Representatives, the bill prevailed in a 91-22 vote with nine abstentions. The bill passed in January 2003 and took effect on June 1. (Arlington Public Library)
2013 - The Evangelical Lutheran Church elects its first openly gay bishop, Rev. Dr. R. Guy Erwin. (Ronni Sanlo, Ed.D.)
On this day in…
1951 - Gilbert Baker, designer of the rainbow pride flag, was born. The original rainbow flag was unveiled at San Francisco Pride in 1978, with colors intended to reflect the diversity of the LGBT community. In 2015, the Museum of Modern Art ranked the rainbow flag as an internationally recognized symbol as important as the recycling symbol. (Arlington Public Library)
1999 - President Bill Clinton made history when he became the first president to announce June 1999 as national “Gay and Lesbian Pride Month.” The proclamation coincided with the 30th anniversary of the Stonewall riots in New York City, NY. The proclamation recognizes the lasting contributions and continuing struggles of lesbian and gay people. He also called for Congress to pass hate crimes legislation. (Ronni Sanlo, Ed.D.)
2006 - Danish parliament allows lesbians to access artificial insemination. The vote repeals a 1997 prohibition of the procedure for lesbians. (Ronni Sanlo, Ed.D.)
2017 - Leo Varadkar, an openly gay son of an Indian immigrant, becomes the Prime Minister of Ireland. (Ronni Sanlo, Ed.D.)
Image by Filmbetrachter from Pixabay