Why Pride Month Is Celebrated In June

June is celebrated as Pride Month, a season to celebrate the lives and experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ)+ communities.

Pride Month 2023: June is celebrated as the Pride Month of the year. June 28th is marked as the pride day every year. Pride Month commemorates the Stonewall Uprising, a series of liberation protests held by the gay community, in 1969.

Why Do We celebrate Pride Month in June

The start of June marks the beginning of Pride Month around the US and some parts of the world, a season to celebrate the lives and experiences of LGBTQ+ communities and to protest against recent attacks on hard-won civil rights gains. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ)+ Pride Month is celebrated in the month of June to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan. The purpose of the pride month is to recognize the impact that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals have had on history across the world. It is a fight for equality.

History Of Pride Month

Former US president Bill Clinton officially recognised Pride Month in 1999 and 2000. June has been an important month for the LGBTQ+ rights movement since New York City’s first Pride march – then dubbed the ‘Christopher Street Gay Liberation Day’ march – on June 28, 1970.

That event marked an act of defiance from the year before, a 1969 uprising at New York City’s Stonewall Inn. After a police raid at the gay bar, a crowd partly led by trans women of color channeled their anger to confront authorities.

At a time when homosexuality was defined as mental illness and showing same-sex affection could be deemed illegal, a diverse crowd of hundreds of gay men, lesbians and transgender people refused to go quietly after police raided the bar. They confronted the officers, hurling coins, bottles, invective and more.

Some bucked arrest and scuffled with officers, who took cover inside the bar for a time before riot police arrived. Demonstrations, defiance, and arrests continued for several more nights. It was a catalyst for what became a global movement for LGBTQ+ rights.

For more than a half-century, the annual marches have been an opportunity to demand action on specific issues such as the AIDS epidemic and same-sex marriage while also serving as a public celebration.

Countries where same-sex marriage is legal

While many countries like India are still debating on legalising same-sex marriage, many others have legalised same-sex marriages.

Here’s a list of countries where same-sex marriage is legal –

• Costa Rica (2020)
• Taiwan (2019)
• Northern Ireland (2019)
• Ecuador (2019)
• Austria (2019)
• Australia (2017)
• Germany (2017)
• Malta (2017)
• Colombia (2016)
• United States (2015)
• Ireland (2015)
• Greenland (2015)
• Finland (2015)
• Scotland (2014)
• Luxembourg (2014)
• England and Wales (2013)
• Brazil (2013)
• France (2013)
• New Zealand (2013)
• Uruguay (2013)
• Denmark (2012)
• Argentina (2010)
• Portugal (2010)
• Iceland (2010)
• Sweden (2009)
• Norway (2008)
• South Africa (2006)
• Spain (2005)
• Canada (2005)
• Belgium (2003)
• The Netherlands (2000)