President Joe Biden declared on Tuesday, June 1, 2021, that the month of June would be recognized as Pride Month. The tradition was halted during former President Trump’s administration, and observed during all of former President Obama’s presidency.
President Biden’s proclamation said, “Pride is both a jubilant communal celebration of visibility and a personal celebration of self-worth and dignity. This Pride Month, we recognize the valuable contributions of LGBTQ+ individuals across America, and we reaffirm our commitment to standing in solidarity with LGBTQ+ Americans in their ongoing struggle against discrimination and injustice.”
“This Pride Month, we affirm our obligation to uphold the dignity of all people, and dedicate ourselves to protecting the most vulnerable among us,” President Biden said.
Last month, President Biden reversed the Trump administration’s decision to not fly the Pride flag at U.S. Embassies, allowing diplomats to make the decision to fly it or not.
The History of Pride Month
June has been dubbed Pride Month, when the LGBTQ community remembers those who were involved in the Stonewall Riots (also known as the Stonewall Uprising), which took place June 28, 1969. The riots were a series of demonstrations by members of the LGBTQ community after police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay club in New York City. The riots took place for six days, resulting in violent clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement. A year after the riots, thousands of marchers took to the streets of Manhattan starting at the Stonewall Inn and ending at Central Park. This would be considered America’s first gay pride parade.
President Barack Obama declared Stonewall Inn, along with nearby streets and sidewalks, a National Monument in 2016, recognizing the area’s gay rights symbolic nature.
Pride Day is celebrated by many LGBTQ communities on June 28th, which is the same day in 1970 where the first gay pride parade took place. National Today, a website dedicated to “special holidays and moments from around the world” tells Pride participants to “don the colors of the rainbow, get glitter out, and be true to yourself during Pride Month every June.”
