LGBTQIA+ Pride
The use of the rainbow as a symbol for LGBTQIA+ pride dates back to 1978. Artist Gilbert Baker, who was an openly gay man and artist, was urged by San Francisco Supervisor and LGBTQIA+ advocate Harvey Milk to create a symbol of pride for the community.
Baker chose the rainbow as a show of diversity that he felt was ideal because it was found in nature. This was a subtle way of answering the long held question of whether being LGBTQIA+ was due to nurture or nature. Gilbert Baker took a stand for nature.
The original rainbow flag included 8 stripes - hot pink, red, orange, yellow, green, turquoise, indigo and violet. Gilbert assigned a meaning to each color:
Hot Pink = sex
Red = Life
Orange = Healing
Yellow = Sunlight
Green = Nature
Turquoise = Art
Indigo = Harmony
Violet = Spirit
Baker's symbol of pride for the community has grown and evolved to become more inclusive. The new flags include trans, BIPOC, and intersex members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
LGBTQIA+ Let's break it down.
L = Lesbian: refers to people who identify as female who are attracted to other female identifying person. Did you know that the L comes first in the listing as a way to honor the many lesbians nurses and allies that supported and cared for gay men during the AIDS crisis of the 1980s and 1990s?
G = Gay: refers to people who identify as male who are attracted to other male identifying people. It has also been used as an all encompassing term for the community as a whole.
B = Bisexual: refers to a person who is attracted to both genders. This also assumes a gender binary. (See pansexual.)
T = Transgender: refers to a person whose gender identity is not aligned with the sex assigned to them at birth.
Q = Queer or Questioning: queer is a term being reclaimed and many use it as an umbrella term and others use it as their identifier. Questioning refers to those who still aren't sure of their sexual identity; they're still figuring it out.
I = Intersex: is a general term used to describe a person born with a reproductive or sexual anatomy that doesn't seem to fit the typical definitions of female or male.
A = Asexual/Aromantic: refers to a person who does not feel sexual or romantic attractions to others.
*All definitions are paraphrased for understanding from the Merriam Webster Dictionary.
The Stonewall Inn was a mafia run gay bar in New York city that was raided by police in the early hours of June 28, 1969. At the time 49 of the 50 United States outlawed homosexuality and gender non-conforming dress and behavior. The Stonewall Inn became a tiny beacon of safety for queer New Yorkers. But, a haven, it was not. The mafia served the patrons inferior liquor that was often watered down and the bar was often raided by the NYPD, even though the mafia paid off the force to "look the other way." The mafia also extorted many of the Stonewall's clients, threatening to tell their employers of their homosexuality if the didn't pay up.
However, on this night, the queer community was not going to go quietly. They were tired of the physical abuse, discrimination, and hatred. The emcee of the the Stonewall Inn was Stormé Delarverie, a lesbian who dressed in men's attire both in the bar and on the streets. They were led away by the police and when one of the officers struck Stormé, "he hit me, so I hit him back." As Stormé observed the chaos they screamed to crowd, "aren't you going to do something about this?"
That punch led to 5 days of rioting and changed the trajectory of gay rights in America. Now, Pride parades around the country are held on the anniversary of the riots and June is recognized as Pride Month. Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson were leaders of the riots, and they worked tirelessly in the months that followed the riots, but it was mostly unknown Stormé Delarverie that is believed to have sparked the entire movement. There are conflicting versions of this story and Stormé, as she aged, wasn't exactly sure anymore either.
For more on Stormé check out this article from The National Parks Service. It is also important to note that on June 24, 2016, President Barack Obama declared the that Stonewall Inn and the areas around it a national monument.
There are extraordinary benefits to inclusion that go beyond the ethical and moral reasoning.
These benefits are not limited to staff, they are passed on to the customers and communities we serve. Inclusive spaces for LGBTQIA+ humans expands the inclusion opportunities for all marginalized and underrepresented communities.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), "Gender refers to the characteristics of women, men, girls and boys that are socially constructed. This includes norms, behaviours and roles associated with being a woman, man, girl or boy, as well as relationships with each other. As a social construct, gender varies from society to society and can change over time." One of the major changes in the gender construct is the gender spectrum as well as those humans do who do not feel they belong to either gender. They do not identify with the binary nature of gender. Some variations include:
All major professional American psychological and psychiatric associations recognize and recommend that inclusive language and usage of the proper gender identity for LGBTQIA+ youth and adults drastically decreases experiences of depression, social anxiety, suicidal ideation, and other negative mental health factors. Studies show that using a person's proper gender identity shows the same respect as ensuring you pronounce someone's name correctly.
Pride is a celebration of self-affirmation, dignity, and equality for the LGBTQIA+ community. It’s a time to honor the history of resistance against discrimination, to stand in solidarity, and to recognize the diverse experiences and identities within the community. Pride events foster inclusivity, create visibility for underrepresented voices, and promote the message that love and identity are not one-size-fits-all. It’s important because it champions the right to live openly and authentically, while also remembering those who have fought for this freedom. Pride is both a jubilant communal celebration and a personal declaration that everyone deserves to live with pride. 🏳️🌈
Knowing the history and stories of the fight for equality, inclusion, and belonging in society helps members of the LGBTQIA+ community, their allies, and advocates understand that the fight is ongoing. It helps acknowledge the pain of the past, accept the struggles that are still being fought for, and the recognition that they are not the first, not alone, and are part of a long proud history.
The term "Queer" still rankles many members of the LGBTQIA+ community and their allies. It entered the lexicon in the 16th century and means strange, odd, peculiar, or eccentric. It has been used as a slur against gay male attraction since the mid-nineteenth century when John Sholto Douglas, the 9th Marquess of Queensberry used it in his crusade to ruin Oscar Wilde, who was carrying on an affair with one of his sons. For nearly 100 years, it was used to degrade and dehumanize gay men. During the 1950s, 60s, and 70s gay and lesbian advocates began to reclaim the word for themselves with shouts such as, "we're here because we're queer," and "we're here, we're queer, get used to it."
In the early 2000s, queer became a more common inclusive umbrella term for the spectrum of sexual and gender identities represented in the LGBTQIA+ acronym. Younger generations, Gen Z in particular, embrace the use of queer to identify themselves.
