Pride

Pride
Chronological Information
Date	Yearly
Began	June 28, 1970
General Information
Location	International
Method	Marches, parades, picnics, etc.

LGBTQIA+ pride is the promotion of self-affirmation, acceptance, equality, and visibility. It commemorates the Stonewall riots and involves a series of events, parades, and marches. Pride is celebrated internationally on varying dates and months. The celebratory day in the United States was initially the final Sunday in June as "Gay Pride Day", but grew to encompass a month-long ordeal in several other countries. In modern times, celebrations include workshops, parades, parties, concerns, and attracts millions of participants worldwide.

History

Early gay pride

Commemorate the Christopher Street Uprisings of last summer in which thousands of homosexuals went to the streets to demonstrate against centuries of abuse [..]] From government hostility to employment and housing discrimination, Mafia control of Gay bars, and anti-Homosexual laws.

Christopher Street Day Committee Fliers for the first Pride event

One month after the Stonewall riots, The Christopher Street Liberation Day March took place in New York City, where people publicly claimed their identities. The Liberation Day March was organized by a bisexual woman named Brenda Howard, who also organized the widely-accepted "first Pride" event a year later. Her role donned her the title of "Mother of Pride" years later.

Newspaper clipping of 1970 march

On June 28, 1970, on the first anniversary of the Stonewall riots, over seven hundred people marched on Greenwich Village's Christopher Street in New York City, in what is widely considered the first Gay Pride march. However, others view this as an anniversary march and not the first gay pride event.

The Greenwich Village March to Central Park was organized by the Christopher Street Liberation Day Committee, though the concept of the initial Pride march stemmed from the Eastern Regional Conference of Homophile Organizations (ERCHO). The march was meant to give the community a place to gather in both protest and solidarity. The Mattachine Society of Washington participated in the planning and promotion, alongside activists in New York City. There was an estimated three to five-thousand marchers in the inaugural Pride in New York City. There were approximately 15-blocks worth of people present.

1970 Christopher Street 'gay day'

The march to Central Park adopted the theme of "Gay Pride" as a counterpoint to the prevailing attitude of shame. Shirtless men walked hand-in-hand and proudly participated in PDA, picketers held signs with their orientations, and demonstrators shouted slogans such as, "gay, gay, all the way". The media coverage focused primarily on the marchers, but occasionally pointed to bystanders who were documented by journalists as being "obviously startled by the scene".

The first march not to occur in New York was on June 27, 1970, in Chicago. 150 people marched from Civic Center Plaza to Washington Square as the chanted "Gay power to gay people". Simultaneously, a small group of San Franciscans marched on Polk Street, than had a picnic they called "gay-in". The "gay-in" was disbanded by equestrian police.

The June 28th Pride in LA was met with resistance from the police as they refused to issue the permit needed for the march. After the unjust expectations of $1,500 payment and $1.5 million insurance bond, the activists took their claims to the local courts. They were later issued a permit for the following year.

In 1978, the most-recognized symbol of Pride debuted in San Francisco with the rainbow flag. The symbol was adopted worldwide. These early demonstrations of pride celebrated being "out of the closet", individual freedoms, and diversity within the communities.

Activism in pride marches

The idea of Pride was always foremost an activist liberation movement and a social political stand against inequality. The core beliefs of the founding were tied to the unjust discrimination against LGBTQIA+ people. As such, Pride activists gathered together on numerous occasions to fight unjust legislation.

n June 23, 1972, organizations petitioned the American Psychiatric Association to remove Homosexuality from the DSM-II. The list named homosexuality as a mental illness. Pride organizations formed throughout the US as a result.

Pride marches garnered national attention on the 10-year anniversary of the Stonewall riots and the assassination of Harvey Milk. On October 13, 1979, pride marchers began the first National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. In the early 1980s, Pride shifted towards advocacy to gain awareness for the HIV/AIDS pandemic. A major organization that came from both Pride and the pandemic was ACT UP. These political and social activism became central to Pride events, as many attendees carried posters with designated social issues of the day.

By 1984, Pride celebrations had solidified a place in major cities across the US. Heritage of Pride was founded to takeover the planning of New York City Pride events. The CSLDC (Christopher Street Liberation Day Committee) had formally disbanded by this point.

In 1993, with the passing of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell legislation, gay rights remained at the forefront of Capitol Hill and New York. Heritage of Pride officially renamed the "Christopher Street Festival" to "PrideFest". The same year, Brenda Howard successfully lobbied for bisexuality to be included in the 1993 March On Washington, an iconic Pride event. Previously, the event had focused on gay men and lesbians.

By the 2000s, Pride marchers had shifted their focus towards Proposition 8 to legalize same-sex marriage in the United States.

Modern day pride

In modern times, Pride parades became more organized and mainstream with each passing year. Hundreds of parades and festivals celebrate LGBTQIA+ pride around the world each June, or in other months. In 2019, an estimated 150,000 people celebrated Pride in New York City. They marched in a 12-and-a-half-hour-long parade while about five million people attended the city's Pride events.

International pride

In 1997, Heritage of Pride hosted the 16th annual international Association of Lesbian and Gay Pride Coordinators conferences, which was the first to participation from international Pride groups.

The first WorldPride event took place in Rome, Italy, from July 1st-9th, 2000. It was organized by the Italian organization ircolo di Cultura Omosessuale Mario Mieli and helped by InterPride. Other countries followed suit, either hosting WorldPride themselves or sending delegates from their countries: Montréal Conference in Canada for non-English speakers (2003), Jerusalem for WorldPride event (2006), and Iceland with the first Nordic pride event (2004). In 2017, the Conference of international Pride delegates, awarded WorldPride to Madrid Pride.

More than two million individuals attended the 2007 Europride event in Madrid.

Pride months

While most city's across the globe celebrate Pride in June, some cities opt for other months. Either due to weather or other circumstances preventing the celebrations from realistically taking place. Many of the cities internationally user the organization InterPride to manage Pride celebrations. The International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association has a calendar of over a hundred Pride events globally.

• February (Auckland)
• June (United States pride month)
• August (Vancouver)
• November (Palm Springs)

Trivia

• In 1995, a resolution passed by the General Assembly of the National Education Association included LGBTA History Month. It designated June as LGTA Pride Month.

Media

• "Gay and Proud" - Documentary on Pride history by Lilli Vincenz

Resources

• NYC Pride
• Gay Pride Calendar (includes international/world cities)
• Pride.com a magazine detailing numerous Pride topics in the media, including news, blogs, and articles regarding the LGBTQIA+ community.