About Pride Month
Pride Month is an annual celebration and recognition of the LGBTQ+ community and its allies. It is celebrated around the world in many different ways, from parades and festivals to more intimate events like movie screenings and lectures. Pride Month is about recognizing the struggles and victories of the LGBTQ+ community, paying tribute to the countless contributions that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals have made to history and creating a safe, affirming space for people of all sexual orientations and gender identities.
Pride Month is celebrated in the month of June to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan which served as a crucial moment in the Gay Liberation Movement of the United States. To commemorate this event, cities across the nation began to celebrate “Gay Pride Day” on the last Sunday of June. Over time, Pride has expanded to encompass a month-long series of events, such as pride parades, picnics, parties, workshops, symposia and concerts. The attendance of these LGBTQ+ Pride Month events is in the millions globally. Memorials are also held throughout this month to remember members of the community who have been lost to hate crimes or HIV/AIDS.
In 1994, President Bill Clinton issued a presidential proclamation officially declaring June as gay and Lesbian Pride Month. Since then, the month of June has become an important time for the LGBTQ+ community to come together and celebrate their identities and fight for their rights.
Gay Rights in Chicago
The first widely-recognized American gay rights organization was based in Chicago. This organization was founded by Henry Gerber in 1924 and called the Society for Human Rights. Inspired by similar organizations in his native Germany, Gerber sought to advance legal aid and foster social acceptance for the LGBTQ+ community.
The Society for Human Rights was the first organization to distribute literature about gay rights, including the first-ever gay rights publication, Friendship and Freedom. Gerber’s organization is widely regarded as the first gay rights organization in the United States and helped to inspire other LGBTQ+ activists, like Harry Hay, to continue the fight for equality. The Society for Human Rights was ultimately short-lived, as it was disbanded by the police in 1925 due to its advocacy for gay rights.
Chicago is also home to the first-ever gay pride parade, which took place in 1969 as participants marched from Washington Square Park to the Civic Center. In 1971, the parade moved up to the East Lakeview neighborhood, and by the 1980s, Mayor Jane Byrne issued a Gay Pride Parade Proclamation. Mayor Harold Washington spoke at the Pride rally, and Mayor Daley II was the first sitting mayor to ride in the parade in 1989 stating, “I am the Mayor for all Chicago”. In 1997 Mayor Daley proclaimed Boystown, the sixth block stretch of Halsted between Grace and Halsted, to be the country’s first officially recognized gay neighborhood.
Did You Know?
Each color of the rainbow flag, which was designed by artist Gilbert Baker in 1978, has its own special meaning. The widely known six color flag consists of red to signify life, orange to signify healing, yellow to symbolize sunshine, green to represent nature, blue to symbolize harmony, and purple to symbolize spirit.
