Rainbow colored Pride flags flying above a crowd of people. (Image source: Photo by y y on Unsplash)
The month of June was chosen to commemorate the anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, which began on June 28, 1969, when New York City police officers raided a tavern in Greenwich Village called the Stonewall Inn, which was known for its support for the City’s LGBTQ+ community. The resulting clash would continue for six days in the surrounding neighborhood, as protesters sent the emphatic message that the LGBTQ+ community was ready to fight for their right to exist and live openly without fear of arrest.
The next year, in June 1970, bisexual activist Brenda Howard organized the first Gay Pride Week and the Christopher Street Liberation Day Parade along with a committee of other activists. Her parade evolved into the New York City Pride March that continues to this day, and which will mark the 56th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising in 2025. Howard's original parade has also inspired similar celebrations across the country and around the world.
(Excerpted from "Pride Month" by NYC Public Schools)
The Pride Flag as we know it today has gone through several iterations since its birth in 1978. It has a long and rich history that started in San Francisco with artist Gilbert Baker, who met a local activist who urged him to create a symbol to represent the gay community. That activist was Harvey Milk, who later became California’s first openly gay politician elected to office. Baker soon presented Milk with a flag that consisted of eight brightly-colored stripes, each color with a specific meaning. The original colors were hot pink for sex, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sunlight, green for nature, turquoise for magic and art, indigo for serenity, and violet for spirit. In June of 1978, Harvey Milk along with many others, proudly waved this flag on full display during a procession in the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade.
The flag remained unchanged until 2017, when Philadelphia's Office of LGBT Affairs unveiled a new Pride flag with two new colors: black and brown. The addition of these colors was to represent a new day of racial inclusion in LGBTQ+ communities, while paying homage to the sacrifices Black and Brown people have made through their activism. Many cities followed suit and adopted this new flag to show their pride.
(Excerpted from "The History of the Pride Flag" by Kamilah C., June 24, 2022. The Free Library of Philadelphia Blog)
