Why Pride is Important
The first Pride Parade was held in 1970 to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. Since then, Pride has become about so much more than Stonewall. It celebrates and honors all the members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Activism
Over the past 51 years since the first Pride march, many parades have been used as mediums for political activism. In the years after Stonewall, Pride parades were used to have fun and create spaces for activism. In the 80s, Pride parades were often used to call attention to the HIV/AIDS epidemic that was decimating the LGBTQ+ and being ignored by the government. These parades, along with the many demonstrations that took place throughout the decade to raise awareness for HIV/AIDS helped push doctors and the government towards recognizing the disease and start working towards a cure. Many issues faced by the community in the 90s were related to the discrimination laws or lack-there-of at the time. This included “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”, marriage and domestic partnership inequality, and employment discrimination. The term “We are everywhere” was popularized to point out the irrationality of keeping gay people out of the workplace, or society in general.
Since the turn of the century pretty much, the gay rights movement has been focused on marriage equality. Through the call for domestic partnerships and ultimately marriage, Pride parades helped to gain support and momentum for the marriage equality movement. Since marriage equality became a reality in the U.S. in 2015, activism for the community is largely geared towards transgender and gender non-conforming rights. In the past year alone, more than 100 bills of anti-transgender legislation have been introduced. The activism of today focuses on protecting transgender rights and recognizing intersections in minority communities. Virtual and social media activism, especially during 2021 Pride has largely reflected that.
Pride
This may seem redundant, but Pride teaches people to have pride and to be themselves. Pride is an event free from judgement and hate, a celebration of a diverse and accepting community. A lot of the world isn’t as inclusive as our community is, so Pride is a way to show how much better the world could be with a little more love for others and for yourself.
Internalized homophobia is experienced by much of the community. It’s a result of our community internalizing and believing the heteronormative ideologies society ingrains in us. What better way to deal with internalized homophobia than through a celebration of love and acceptance and being unapologetically you? Being proud of who you make you more confident and allows you to love more about yourself, despite the ignorant things other people say.
History
Pride also honors the history of the LGBTQ+ community. After all, it started as a commemoration of the Stonewall Riots. Pride honors the lives and sacrifices of people who stood up for the rights of our community in a time before acceptance. People who went to jail for protesting, openly gay politicians, and people who win everyday victories, against their schools, their parents, their bullies.
In the past 50 years of Pride, so much has changed for the better for our community, but we still have a long way to go. Pride allows us to reflect on the past and learn from history. As mentioned before, much of today’s LGBTQ+ activism in the U.S. is focused on the protection of trans rights, and we owe the start of Pride to a Black transgender woman. Celebrating Pride honors her memory and the memory of other transgender individuals who still struggle to this day.
“Gay pride was not born out of a need to celebrate being gay, but instead our right to exist without prosecution.”
— LZ Granderson
Community
Finally, one of the most rewarding parts of being a part of the LGBTQ+ community is the almost overwhelming sense of community. For some people, they are the only LGBTQ+ person in their family. This can be isolating and frightening. But on some level, most people in the LGBTQ+ community have experienced the same isolating or frightening feelings. With Pride allowing for the gathering of so many members of the LGBTQ+ community, it can make people feel less alone. It gives people hope.
Although great strides have been made in LGBTQ+ rights since Pride began, it doesn’t mean that friends or family members have necessarily made the same adjustments. For young members of the queer community, knowing that there are that many people out there that are like them can make all the difference.
“I’ve been embraced by a new community. That’s what happens when you’re finally honest about who you are; you find others like you.” — Chaz Bono
Pride is the culmination of everything our community stands for. It teaches love, acceptance, to be proud, to honor our history, and to just have fun. Going to Pride may not be for everyone, but that shouldn’t stop you from taking advantage of learning more about the community on your own time.
Spend some time learning about some gay history. Do research on what causes we are advocating for lately. Be comfortable in and proud of your body and your identities. Embrace the community. You won’t regret it.
Haven is a developing virtual pride center aimed at providing young LGBTQ+ people with a community at their fingertips. The founders of Haven come from a place of love, understanding, and commitment. Haven is a community founded by young LGBTQ+ people for LGBTQ+ people. Checkout our website, havenvpc.org, and follow us on Instagram @haven.vpc for updates on our journey.
Haven is a 501(c)(3) non-profit. You can email us at havenvpc@gmail.com.
