Pride: The History Behind the Rainbow Parades

June marks pride month, a national celebration of people that identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community. But while it may all seem like rainbow logos and flags and parades, it’s so much more than that. The history of Pride runs deep into American history, a history that isn’t as focused on in class.

It all begins in Stonewall Inn, where the first protest of Pride took place on June 28, 1969. There, people of all orientations and genders met up to begin a protest, fighting for their rights as human beings. And while many other token cities had added their part to Pride protests, Stonewall is often credited with the origin. It took its place in history as the Stonewall Rebellion, or the Christopher Street Uprising.

The Inn was always prone to raids by the police. As they checked to find a cross-dresser, or someone who didn’t identify as straight or cisgender, the Inn could just sit and watch as the chaos unfolded.

Until June 28, where everyone decided to fight back. According to Sylvia Rivera, a key figure in the Pride Month protests, “The police came in. They came in to get their payoff as usual. They would come in, padlock the friggin’ door ... This is what we learned to live with at that time. We had to live with it. We had to live with it until that day.” Bricks, cans, anything they had on them was thrown or used to defend themselves from the NYPD. They were determined to show that they were not worthless or underneath ‘normal’ people. They were human beings too, and they were going to show that.

The first march didn't begin until exactly a year later, on June 28, 1970. The one year anniversary of the uprising that changed it all. People of all genders and orientations were part of the planning for this march, with papers and packets giving information about how exactly they wanted the march to go. They wanted to “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".

Finally, it was time. Around three to five thousand people attended the march, flooding the streets and announcing to the world that they might not be straight, they might not be cisgender, or they just might not be homophobic, but they were allies and members, and that is what they took pride in.

Since then, the U.S government has added many days and commemorations to the community, naming October as National LGBTQ+ History Month, with October 11 being National Coming-Out Day. And of course, there’s June; Pride Month, to celebrate the Stonewall Protests and other marches that started it all.

The Stonewall Inn is now a national monument, signed off by former President Barack Obama in 2016, and now more than ever, people are looking to learn about history from the LGBTQIA+ community.

Today, Pride month has blossomed into another culture, where all the gays and theys can come together and show off their colors. New flags have been made since those marches, including the token rainbow flag, the Transgender flag, the Bisexual, Pansexual, Asexual, and Polysexual flags have also been added, in addition to a plethora of others that would take hours to name, but are still valid.

If you want to celebrate, a simple Google search is all you need to do to find a parade going on near your area. No price is required, and you can join, whether you are an ally or a member. Bring your flag and show your pride.