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Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Pride Month 2025: What colors are on a rainbow flag and what is their meaning?
Happy Pride Month! June marks the 55th anniversary of the first LGBTQ+ Pride march held in the United States. Since its creation in 1978, the Rainbow Pride Flag has become a universal symbol for the LGBTQ community. While the flag's image is well-recognized, its history may not be as well-known. Here is the history of how the Rainbow Pride Flag came to be and the meaning behind its colors. Held in June every year, LGBTQ Pride Month is dedicated to the celebration and commemoration of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and other sexualities. It seeks to honor LGBTQ history and the challenges the community faces, past and present, according to Cathy Renna, Communications Director for the National LGBTQ Task Force. According to History, Pride Month is held in June due to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in New York City. The riots began on June 28 when police officers raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay club located in Greenwich Village, which led to days of protests and violent clashes with law enforcement. USA TODAY notes that in the year following the riots, some of the first Gay Pride parades were held in Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York. Early Pride celebrations still excluded pivotal members, such as trans women and other women of color. Celebrations soon expanded on their activist roots in the 1980s and 1990s with the onset of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. More recently, activists have used the celebrations to shed light topics from marriage equality to racial justice. As for why it is called "pride," it again goes back to the Stonewall Riots. Bustle explains that Brenda Howard, a bisexual woman, is known as the "Mother of Pride" for her work in organizing the first LGBTQ Pride March back in 1970. It was also noted that Howard's peers and other key figures popularized the word following its inception. June became known as Pride Month in the United States when former President Bill Clinton first recognized it in 1999, referring to it as "Gay & Lesbian Pride Month." Former President Barack Obama declared June "LGBT Pride Month" in 2009. Most recently, former President Joe Biden declared June "LGBTQ+ Pride Month" in 2021, including all sexualities under the acronym. Each of the flag's six rainbow colors has a unique meaning: Red: Life Orange: Healing Yellow: Sunlight Green: Nature Blue: Serenity Purple: Spirit In recent years, many flags also feature black and brown stripes to represent marginalized LGBTIQ+ people of color and the trio of blue, pink, and white from the trans flag. There are also more than 25 different variations of the Pride flag to represent different communities, including lesbians, transgender people and asexuality. In the 1970s, Harvey Milk – the first openly gay elected official in California – tasked activist Gilbert Baker to design a symbol of hope for the gay community. "Harvey Milk was a friend of mine, an important gay leader in San Francisco in the '70s, and he carried a really important message about how important it was to be visible," Baker said in an interview with the Museum of Modern Art in 2015. "A flag really fit that mission, because that's a way of proclaiming your visibility, or saying, 'This is who I am!'" The original pride flag had eight stripes, with colors symbolizing: Hot pink: Sex Red: Life Orange: Healing Yellow: Sunlight Green: Nature Turquoise: Magic Indigo: Serenity Purple: Spirit Before the rainbow flag, the pink triangle was used as a symbol for the LGBTQ+ community, according to Baker. In Nazi Germany, people were forced to wear pink triangles. While the symbol was reclaimed, the community wanted a new symbol. "We needed something beautiful, something from us," Baker said in the MoMA interview. "The rainbow is so perfect because it really fits our diversity in terms of race, gender, ages, all of those things." The original Pride flag was flown for the first time at the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade celebration on June 25, 1978, the History Channel reports. The original flag was made by hand, but as the flags started to be mass-produced, the hot pink stripe was removed due to manufacturing difficulties, the New York Times reports. Parade organizers also wanted the rainbow to have an even number of stripes so they could "split" the flag and use the halves to line the street along parade routes. Baker then removed the turquoise stripe and replaced the indigo stripe with blue, the History Channel reports. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Pride Month 2025: What do all the colors in the pride flag mean?
Mint
2 days ago
- Politics
- Mint
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz wishes 'Happy Pride Month', gets slammed by MAGA supporters
Tim Walz, the reigning Governor of Minnesota, was slammed by social media users and Donald Trump's MAGA supporters for showing support towards Pride Month in the United States. The running mate of Democratic Party candidate Kamala Harris in the US Presidential polls 2024 had to face an onslaught of hate comments under his post captioned, 'No matter who you are or who you love, you are welcome here. Happy Pride Month, Minnesota!' In the post was his official proclamation of Pride Month, bearing the Great Seal of the State of Minnesota. The first segment of the proclamation reads, "In 2025, we commemorate the 56th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, which began as a response to a police raid at the Stonewall Inn in New York, where lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people fought back during days of protest and demonstrations against police harassment and violence towards LGBTQ+ people; and..." "The Stonewall Riots and the broader LGBTQ liberation movement were shaped by the leadership and resistance of transgender and lesbian women of color, including Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and Stormé Delarverie. Their courage laid the groundwork for generations of advocacy, visibility, and justice; and...", the proclamation continues. The last segment of Tim Walz' official proclamation spoke about the importance of the identity of the LGBTQ community and the resilience to keep fighting for justice and equality. "Each June, people in Minnesota and around the world observe Pride as a time to celebrate LGBTQ identity, community, and resilience and to continue the fight for justice, equity, and liberation. Pride honors the legacy of resistance and protest of the Stonewall Riots and affirms that the fight continues against discrimination, violence, and systemic barriers, and We affirm that LGBTQ+ people deserve respect, compassion, and a place to be their authentic selves, and we recommit to the safety and support of all our community members, and we celebrate diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout Minnesota," the proclamation read. Soon after the post, Walz had to bear the wrath of MAGA activists and supporters. A MAGA supporter wrote, 'Are you really this much of a predator?' Another social media user wrote, 'Would a conservative white man be welcomed?' Others began commenting about the "real" Pride Month. "This is the real 'Pride" Month, Tim," a comment read. One of the replies to this comment thread said, 'May is veterans month, but you don't know that because you don't actually care.' Another quippy comment on Walz' post reads,"Where's our straight month??"
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
10 top US cities prepare for 55th LGBTQ+ Pride marches this June: Date, entry fees, nationwide events
The 55th LGBTQ+ Pride march will take place in the US this June, which is celebrated as Pride Month. The origin of LGBTQ+ Pride Month is linked to a darker period, but Pride marches, protests, and celebrations are held in many places to celebrate queer joy. The first LGBTQ+ Pride march took place in June 1970, a year after New York City Police officers stormed the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, causing a six-day protest in the neighborhood. The Stonewall riots were a landmark event for the LGBTQ+ community in the United States, despite the fact that raids and related demonstrations and marches had been taking place for decades before. Take a closer look at Pride Month history and the ways that 10 major American cities are commemorating it this summer. Here are a few of the US most popular Pride celebrations. All of these events revolve around rallies, live entertainment, parades, food, drink, and retail vendors, community resources, and family-friendly activities. Also Read: North Carolina overnight mass shooting: 12 shot, 1 dead June 7-8 Free Saturday, June 8 Free Saturday, June 14 Free June 21-22 $20 suggested donation Saturday, June 28 Varying prices per age, VIP access June 28-29 $10 general admission June 28-29 Free June 28-29 Free Seattle, Washington June 28-29 Free Sunday, June 29 Free In 1999, the US federal government designated June as "Gay & Lesbian Pride Month" under ex-President Bill Clinton. After Barack Obama came into power, he changed the month's name to "Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month" in 2009. Later, it was officially acknowledged as Pride Month. Moreover, the Stonewall Riots, which took place on June 28, 1969, led a six-day rebellion for LGBTQ+ rights, despite the fact that the police had previously stormed Stonewall Inn and numerous others. Demonstrators engaged in violent altercations with police, destroying windows and barricades and starting fires, despite the fact that no fatalities were reported as a result of the riotsdisruptions.
Chicago Tribune
2 days ago
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Pride Month starts this weekend. Here's what to expect
Pride Month kicks off with events around the world starting this weekend. It's an annual series of parades and other gatherings to celebrate LGBTQ+ culture and rights. At its heart, Pride is both a party and a protest. In the U.S. this year, that means speaking out against a slew of policies that impose restrictions on transgender people and that try to end diversity, equity and inclusion programming in government, education and businesses. Here's a look at the event's roots and this year's events and themes. The monthlong global celebration began with Gay Pride Week in late June 1970, a year after the violent police raid at New York's Stonewall Inn, a gay bar. At a time when many LGBTQ+ people kept their identities private, the June 28, 1969, raid sparked a series of public protests and catalyzed the gay rights movement. The first pride week featured marches in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco, and it has since grown to other cities. On the calendar are events in Philadelphia this weekend; New Orleans on June 14; Chicago on June 21 and 22; and New York over the weekend of June 28 and 29. Many other events in big cities and small towns are also planned. There are pride celebrations around the world, including in Tokyo on June 8; Toronto on June 27-29; Sao Paolo on June 22; and Paris on June 28. Some events fall outside of June, too. World Pride, a biannual event held this year in Washington, D.C., began in May and goes through June 8. Pride in London is in July; a big celebration in Rio de Janeiro is in November and Atlanta's is in October. Former President Bill Clinton proclaimed June as Gay and Lesbian Pride Month in 1999, marking the first time a U.S. president did so. When President Donald Trump returned to office in January, he quickly attempted to roll back LGBTQ+ rights. He's especially targeted transgender people with policies that halted allowing people to change the sex listed on their passport, removed transgender military troops and sought to stop using federal insurance programs to pay for gender-affirming care for transgender people under age 19, and keep transgender athletes out of girls and women's sports competitions. All of those changes are being challenged in court. His actions follow years of policies in Republican-controlled states that bar gender-affirming care for transgender minors and dictate which sports transgender people can play and which school and other public bathrooms they are allowed to use. The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule this month on whether Tennessee's ban on medical treatment is constitutional. One of Trump's orders called for removing references to what he and some other conservatives call 'gender ideology' from government publications and websites. A result of that: References to transgender people have been removed from government websites, including the one for the Stonewall National Monument, site of the event that inspired Pride. About half of U.S. adults approve of how Trump is handling transgender issues, an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll found last month. About 4 in 10 voters approve of his job as president overall. But support for his individual policies on transgender people is not uniformly strong, with a clearer consensus against policies that affect youth. Organizers of Milwaukee's PrideFest are prepared for close to 50,000 people at the event scheduled for June 5-7. 'We're feeling that people will be showing up, and that's their protest,' said Wes Shaver, the president and CEO of Milwaukee Pride, Inc. The event's theme is 'Celebrating the Power of Pride' and for the first time, one of the entertainment stages one night will feature only transgender performers. Shaver said that's an intentional move in response to Trump's policies. Another night, the stage will feature only performers of color. Jeremy Williams, the executive producer of Philly Pride 365 in Philadelphia, said he didn't expect more protest than in the past there. 'Everybody's just there to be together,' he said. One milestone that's likely to be celebrated: This month marks the 10th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's Obergefell v. Hodges ruling, which recognized same-sex marriage nationwide. It was a watershed event in establishing rights for LGBTQ+ people across the country. About two-thirds of LGBTQ+ adults in the U.S. said the case made the nation more accepting of same-sex couples, according to a Pew Research Center poll released last week. The poll found that LGBTQ+ people don't always feel accepted, though. About 6 in 10 said they see 'a great deal' or 'a fair amount' of social acceptance for those who are lesbian, gay or bisexual. But only about 1 in 10 said the same is true for nonbinary and transgender people. Several big companies have pulled back on sponsorships for Pride events this year. Among them: Anheuser-Busch, the St. Louis-based brewer, declined to sponsor PrideFest in its home city after three decades of support, leaving organizers $150,000 short of last year's budget, they told The Associated Press. NYC Pride said about 20% of its corporate sponsors dropped or reduced support, including PepsiCo and Nissan. The carmaker said it was reviewing all its marketing costs. In other cities, such as Kansas City, Missouri, pride events lost about half their budgets. Several companies that have pulled back have not explained why to the AP. But some experts see the change as part of a broader retreat from brand activism. Still, the groups behind many Pride events say some companies have kept contributing but have asked not to be listed publicly as sponsors.
Time of India
2 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Pride Month: Why is it celebrated in June?
As June commences, the sixth month of the year comes in with a splash of colours, with the rainbow flag waving high and wide! It's Pride Month! Celebrated worldwide in June, Pride month is a time for the LGBTQ+ community and their allies to celebrate diversity, identity, and achievements, while also recognizing historical struggles and advocating for equality. The month includes various events, such as parades, festivals, workshops, and memorials. Whether you identify as a non-binary individual, or are still figuring out where you stand in the gender spectrum – the month of June indeed is special for the members of the LGBTQ+ community. And it's not just non-binary folks, for whom June holds a special place – as allies, it is equally important for cisgender and heterosexual peers, as they strive to coexist harmoniously and make this world a better and safer place. But why June? Why is June celebrated as Pride Month? This annual observance traces its roots to a pivotal event in 1969—the Stonewall Riots in New York City—which ignited the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement. Here's a trip to the lanes of history of Pride. The Stonewall Riots of 1969: In the early hours of June 28, 1969, the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in Manhattan's Greenwich Village, was raided by police—a common occurrence at the time. However, this particular raid sparked an unprecedented uprising. Patrons of the bar, along with local residents, fought back against the police, leading to a series of protests and clashes that lasted for several days. These riots are widely considered the catalyst for the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement. Birth of Pride Parades : To commemorate the first anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, the first Gay Pride marches were held on June 28, 1970, in New York City, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. These marches, known as the Christopher Street Liberation Day parades, marked the beginning of what would become an annual tradition of LGBTQ+ pride events. The choice of June for these events was symbolic, aligning with the month of the Stonewall Riots. Official recognition and expansion: The significance of June as Pride Month was officially recognized by the U.S. government in 1999 when President Bill Clinton declared June Gay and Lesbian Pride Month. In 2009, President Barack Obama expanded this recognition to include bisexual and transgender individuals, declaring June as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Month. Over time, Pride celebrations have grown beyond the United States, with cities around the world hosting their own events in June to honor the LGBTQ+ community. These celebrations include parades, festivals, workshops, and memorials, fostering a sense of unity and visibility for LGBTQ+ individuals globally. The ongoing struggles and significance: While Pride Month serves as a celebration of LGBTQ+ culture and achievements, it also serves as a reminder of the ongoing struggles for equality and acceptance. Issues such as discrimination, lack of legal protections, and violence against LGBTQ+ individuals persist, underscoring the importance of continued advocacy and activism. Pride Month provides an opportunity to reflect on the progress made and the work still needed to ensure equality for all members of the LGBTQ+ community. More than a 'celebration': Pride Month in June is more than just a series of events; it is a powerful reminder of the resilience, courage, and determination of the LGBTQ+ community. Rooted in the history of the Stonewall Riots, it continues to be a vital time for reflection, celebration, and advocacy, ensuring that the fight for LGBTQ+ rights remains visible and ongoing. TN: Transgender community celebrates 'Pride Month' in Chennai
