After announcing Simon’s Most Holy Awesome Pride Month Agenda (if you're a Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda fan, check it out!) yesterday, I thought a post about Pride Month was in order. And here it is. Maybe you know a lot about what this month is all about, maybe you don’t. For me, I was the latter, having only heard of Pride Month in passing. So to fix this, I took to researching and discovering what I could. Here’s what I learned:
So...what is Pride Month?
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month (LGBT Pride Month) is currently celebrated each year in the month of June to honor the 1969 Stonewall riots in Manhattan. The Stonewall riots were a tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the United States. In the United States the last Sunday in June was initially celebrated as “Gay Pride Day,” but the actual day was flexible. In major cities across the nation the “day” soon grew to encompass a month-long series of events. Today, celebrations include pride parades, picnics, parties, workshops, symposia and concerts, and LGBT Pride Month events attract millions of participants around the world. Memorials are held during this month for those members of the community who have been lost to hate crimes or HIV/AIDS. The purpose of the commemorative month is to recognize the impact that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals have had on history locally, nationally, and internationally. - taken from loc.gov/lgbt/about.html
What happens during Pride Month? Are allies allowed to join in?
There are a ton of amazing events, parades and festivals going on in the US, from a Pride pageant, to a concert for love and acceptance, to a Pride comedy night. And yes, allies are welcome to join in. If you’re an Aussie reading this post you might be wondering, do we have Pride Month here in Australia? We don't, but there are LGBT events held throughout the year. If you're interested, this list of worldwide events is helpful!
Apart from going to festivals and such, what are other ways to celebrate Pride Month?
Maybe you can’t get to an event or maybe you live outside the US, but still wish to join in and show support. Here’s a few suggestions, good for anytime of the year:
1. Learn the history and become more aware. Being informed is always a good way to show support. Here's a short video on Pride Month for visual folks. It's worth a watch!
2. Volunteer at a local LGBT youth centre.
3. Buy, borrow, read, discuss and share your favourite LGBT books.
4. Support LGBT bookstores. There aren’t many around, but there are a few in Australia. Giovanni’s Room in the US looks a great please to visit. Just look at that beautiful display!
Giovanni's Room is a landmark, the country's first LGBT bookstore.
Proud to see @IWGregorio & @beckyalbertalli here. pic.twitter.com/uWTJmwK7yl
— Eric Smith (@ericsmithrocks) May 27, 2015
5. Support and follow great LGBT blogs like Gay YA. If you haven’t checked them out, they post fabulous guest posts, interviews, reviews and even run a book club!I hope you enjoyed this post and learnt some new things, I know I certainly did! Here’s to a great Pride Month. Link up and happy reading!
Wouldn't it be amazing to have 'pride' reads as a permanent feature in our bookstores, I can only imagine how many teens could benefit from it such as learning acceptance and even self confidence to know that they're not alone and that as society they're valued as well. I think we're pretty forward in Australia when it comes to equality for everyone regardless of whether your gay or straight. If only our politicians would take notice and allow the country to vote. Until then, it's advocates like yourself Bec that keep pushing us to fight for equality for all <3
ReplyDeleteI think it's so great you did this and are actively promoting and researching Pride. If you haven't seen it, a film called Pride is absolutely fantastic and so recommendable, though it might be a little difficult to find, from what I've heard. One of those quiet releases.
ReplyDeleteI saw that picture on Twitter- it looks like such an incredible bookstore! I think it's a growing discussion, at the moment, why Australian bookstores don't really have LGBT books promoted for what they are or widely available. I can only hope it changes. xx