Pride Month Begins with Demands for Racial Justice

NY’s Stonewall Inn - circa 1969

Today marks the first day of Pride Month, a time to celebrate and reflect on LGBTQ+ history and remember the June 1969 riot led by the trans women and drag queens at New York’s Stonewall Inn. Those six days of protest at Stonewall, began as a reaction to over-policing of the gay, lesbian and trans communities. Much like the protests we’ve seen in major cities over the past week, Stonewall wasn’t a reaction to a single event. It was the peak of rage built up from a series of similar episodes (most notably the 1966 Compton Cafeteria riots in San Francisco) that kindled a revolt and galvanized the fight for LGBTQ+ rights.

We must never forget that Pride is rooted in an historic struggle against injustice. Our community’s demands to be seen, heard, respected and allowed to have, unapologetically, our inherent dignity as fellow human beings is not unlike the cry of people of color today who demand better from the police. Their struggle has gone on for generations. Their pain calls on us to recall the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies … but the silence of our friends.” Across America, members of the LGBTQ+ community are standing in solidarity with peaceful protesters as Pride Month 2020 begins. We are not silent, for our values and our liberation are bound together.

In Solidarity –
Amy Hunter
Executive Director, OutFront Kalamazoo