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Birth of the U.S. LGBTQ+
Rights Movement
Recognizing Pride Month
Pride events began as a way to achieve basic rights, legal protections and acceptance. Since 1970, LGBTQ+ people and allies have continued to gather every June to march for equal rights, and Pride events have multiplied. Annual Pride events take place around the world from Albuquerque, New Mexico, to Zurich, Switzerland – with New York City, São Paulo and Madrid hosting some of the largest events that attract up to 5 million people.
In 1999 and 2000, President Bill Clinton officially declared June Gay and Lesbian Pride Month. Then, between 2009 and 2016 and each year he was in office, President Barack Obama expanded the observance and declared June LGBT Pride Month. In 2021, President Joe Biden recognized June as LGBTQ+ Pride Month.
50 Years of Progress
We’ve come a long way since 1969, but LGBTQ+ people still continue to suffer adversity and injustice because of who they are and who they love. Worldwide, 64 countries still have laws that criminalize LGBTQ+ people. In the United States, only 21 states fully prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, while 27 states do not protect LGBTQ+ Americans. Wisconsin and Utah only bar some types of discrimination.
The work continues, as state legislatures across the country continue targeting transgender children and adults. Raising awareness of these important issues through Pride Month remains imperative as it can help inspire a more accepting, inclusive and equal society for all.
The Fight Continues
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Littler Celebrates Pride Month - 2023 | Littler Mendelson P.C.
Why Do We Recognize Pride Month?
Here’s why it’s important to celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride Month and everything you need to know about this special month.
Pride Month recognizes the accomplishments of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) individuals, as well as the decades they’ve spent struggling for basic civil rights under the law. The 1950s and 1960s were extremely repressive for LGBTQ+ people in the United States. During this time, homosexuality was often equated with mental illness, and in 1950, the State Department declared homosexuals to be security risks.
By the 1960s, advocates for equality organized "Annual Reminders" each July 4 in Philadelphia – some of the earliest protests – to inform and remind Americans that LGBTQ+ people did not have basic civil rights or protections under law.
Early Beginnings
Although challenges still exist, progress made over the past 50 years has been significant. Because of those efforts since 1969, LGBTQ+ people have achieved greater legal protections and wider support for same-sex marriage. In its 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision, the Supreme Court ruled that all states must recognize same-sex marriages. And with this forward momentum, more Americans are sharing how they identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community. According to Gallup research, 7.2% of U.S. adults identify as LGBTQ+ – with 19.7% of Gen Z, 11.2% of millennials and 3.3% or less of older generations.
On June 28, 1969, the Stonewall Riots ignited the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement in the U.S. The Stonewall Inn, in New York City’s Greenwich Village, was a gay bar and social refuge for the LGBTQ+ community. A police raid on the Stonewall Inn sparked a riot and protests among hundreds of patrons and neighbors. After six days of protests and violent clashes with law enforcement, the message was clear: The LGBTQ+ community would no longer quietly endure being harassed or arrested for who they were.
A year later on June 28, 1970, thousands marched 51 blocks from the Stonewall Inn on Christopher Street to Central Park in what was called “Christopher Street Liberation Day” to mark the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. It is now recognized as the nation’s first LGBTQ+ Pride march.
