Please join King County in celebrating Pride Month!
Pride Month began in June of 1970, a year after the Stonewall Riots in New York City. The Stonewall demonstrations served as major catalysts that propelled the LGBTQIA+* liberation movement into the public eye and outside of the periphery. Since then, Pride Month has been considered a time of remembrance, activism, and celebration. LGBTQIA+ folks have faced tremendous violence and bigotry throughout history. Remembrance is demonstrated during Pride Month by cherishing the many LGBTQIA+ activists who have dedicated themselves to fighting to eradicate unjust treatment and for LGBTQIA+ civil rights. Their success is evident in how far this nation has come in not just protecting LGBTQIA+ members’ right to freely exist but also in how allies and LGBTQIA+ individuals alike have joined to advocate for and celebrate this liberty. Given that many states across the United States and many nations across the globe still uphold anti-LGBTQIA+ laws and sentiments, it is important to remain conscious of the ongoing struggle for global LGBTQIA+ liberation and acceptance. Pride is also about openly and proudly celebrating the diversity of the LGBTQIA+ community and all the varied, beautiful lives of its members. Here are some historical LGBTQIA+ figures:
James Baldwin was a prominent essayist, activist, and novelist in the 20th century, with writings highlighting the social and psychological adversities affecting African American and gay men. His work includes pieces on LGBTQIA+ acceptance, which were regarded as contentious at the time in 1956. Since his passing in 1987, Baldwin has remained a beloved and inspirational figure to many. “Everybody’s journey is individual. If you fall in love with a boy, you fall in love with a boy. The fact that many Americans consider it a disease says more about them than it does about homosexuality.” – Conversations with James Baldwin
Alan Turning is regarded as the pioneer of computer science and artificial intelligence and is credited with helping to end World War II. As a brilliant mathematician, his leading role in breaking Nazi ciphers helped prevent the deaths of millions. However, despite his invaluable services to humanity, after the United Kingdom government learned of his homosexuality, Turning was arrested and charged with gross indecency. He was ordered to undergo chemical castration, was then barred from continuing his work in cryptography, and later committed suicide in 1954. Turning was later pardoned by the United Kingdom and became the first LGBTQIA+ person to be featured on British currency in 2021.
Audre Lorde described herself as “black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet,” and devoted her work to addressing the devastation and injustice of racism, sexism, classism, and homophobia. Her first collection of poems was released in 1968, while she was working as a librarian. Lorde’s poetry is chiefly revered for the force with which it advocates for racial and social justice, as well as for its perspectives on the queer experience and sexuality. Additionally, she participated in the civil rights, anti-war, and feminist movements of the 1960s. In 1992, Lorde passed away from breast cancer. “It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences.” – Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches.
You can learn more about LGBTQIA+ history here.
*L: Lesbian, G: Gay, B: Bisexual, T: Transgender, Q: Questioning or Queer, I: Intersex, A: Asexual, +: respectfully recognizes other identities such as Two-Spirit, Pansexual, Non-Binary, etc
Sources:
https://www.history.com/topics/gay-rights/pride-month