Why is June designated as Pride Month?

( WTAJ ) — LGBTQ+ pride is celebrated annually in June, but do you know why that month was chosen?

In June 1969 , the Stonewall “Riots” occurred at the Stonewall Inn, a gay club located in Greenwich Village. New York police conducted a raid on the club. Sparked by police harassment and social discrimination, six days of protests followed suit.

While the events of Stonewall are often referred to as “riots,” Stonewall veterans have explicitly stated that they prefer the term Stonewall uprising or rebellion. The reference to these events as riots was initially used by police to justify their use of force, according to the Library of Congress . The United States first pride parade was held on the one-year anniversary of the uprising.

In the years before Stonewall, there were a number of uprising against police and state brutality, harassment and entrapment of the LGBTQ+ communities in the U.S.

Pride Month was first recognized in 1994 when a coalition of education-based organizations in the U.S. designated October as LGBT History Month. In 1999 , President Bill Clinton declared June “Gay and Lesbian Pride Month” and in 2009, President Barack Obama declared June as LGBT Pride Month. In June 2021 , President Joe Biden declared June LGBTQ Pride Month.

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In 2011 , “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” was repealed. The policy was originally adopted in 1994, which prevented service members from expressing their LGBTQ identity due to threats of being discharged. In 2021 , the Army took it a step further and began welcoming transgender and individuals with gender dysphoria into the service as well.

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