WHAT IS PRIDE?

LGBT+ Pride

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Pride is celebrated around the world with both protests and parties. In the 50 years since the modern LGBTQ+ liberation movement began in the 1970s, Pride events have taken place around the world. Although these events are all unique based on where there are located, they are usually tied in some way to the Stonewall Riots of 1969.

The Stonewall Riots were not the first time that LGBTQ+ people fought back against police harassment, but it is the best known case, and it was crucial to the creation of Pride. The Stonewall Inn was a gay bar in Greenwich Village, New York City. Police often raided gay bars, and it was typical for patrons who were dressed in drag to be arrested.

One night in the summer of 1969, cops stormed the Stonewall Inn and arrested patrons. However, on this particular night, the crowd grew angry and eventually, someone encouraged all the onlookers to fight back. The crowd threw various objects at the police and forced them to retreat. This led to several more aggressive confrontations over the next few nights.

After the Stonewall Riots, activists wanted to keep the resistance going. They organized a march to Central Park the next year, and used the theme of “Gay Pride” to push back against the attitude of being ashamed of being gay. The march spread to other cities throughout the 70s, and Pride eventually became the celebration we know today.

Nowadays, Pride is celebrated in various places around the world. Pride is different in every city, but most Pride parades and celebrations take place in June to mark the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots.

Some larger cities coordinate their Pride celebrations through the organization InterPride, which manages Pride celebrations around the world and runs WorldPride. This year, WorldPride will be held in two cities for the first time - Copenhagen in Denmark, and Malmö in Sweden.