Posted June 10, 2016
By: Reggie Brown and Tara Blair
LGBTQ Pride Month is underway. The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community and supporters have celebrated the month of June as “Pride Month” to honor the 1969 stonewall riots in Manhattan. Pride Month, was once “Gay Pride Day” the last Sunday in June, but has since grown to the current month long celebration.
In New Your City, just after 3 a.m., police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay club. The streets turned violent as patrons and sympathizers in the area began to riot against the police. While police were justified legally to raid due to the club serving liquor without a license, the gay community at that time had grown increasingly agitated with the police department targeting of clubs for the gay community. The riot was followed by several days of demonstrations and considered a tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the United States.
Leach, Dawn. “Evenings Out.” Gay People’s Chronicle 13 Sept. 1996. Archives of Human Sexuality and Identity. Web. 10 June 2016
Now, communities from around the world celebrate and honor those members of the community who have been lost due to hate crimes or HIV/AIDS. Celebrations include pride parades, picnics, parties, workshops, symposiums, and concerts attracting millions of participants around the world. The purpose of this commemorative month is to recognize the impact that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals have had on local, national, and international history.
Gale’s new release, Archives of Sexuality and Gender Part 1: LGBTQ History and Culture since 1940, connects students, educators, and researchers to the rich history of sexuality and identity. It enables the researcher to delve deeper to make new connections in subjects such as: queer history and activism, cultural studies, psychology, sociology, health, political science, policy studies, human rights, gender studies, and much more! Archives of Sexuality and Gender offers a unique, fully-searchable collection of approximately 1.5 million pages of primary sources on social, political, health, and legal issues impacting the LGBTQ communities around the world.
“Photograph – Gay Pride March.” Gay Rights Movement, Series 1: The Mattachine Society of New York Records, 1951-1976. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale. Archives of Human Sexuality and Identity. Web. 10 June 2016.