The Importance of Pride month

Pride is usually celebrated in the month of June as it is to remember the Stonewall Inn riots that took place in New York City on the 28th of June 1969. This riot was the "awakening" of the gay liberation movement in accordance to the Library of Congress. Ever since this riot, this has played an important role in the modern fight for LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer) rights across the world and previous presidents of the Unites States of America have declared June as a LGBT+ pride month according to ABC news America.

Well I know you might be wondering, how is it celebrated and is it a celebration so to speak? Well the answer is both a yes and no. During the festival, memorials are held for the members of the LGBTQ+ community who have fallen plague to the HIV/AIDS epidemic as well as those who have lost their lives to hate crimes. However, the month long celebration hosts a bunch of activities from parades to parties, marches, workshops and symposiums as well which are opened to the public.

Why is this movement important till this day?

According to a news article released by the independent UK a total of 74 countries do not recognize LGBTQ+ relationships and it is illegal to be gay. I know you might be thinking to yourself "it's 2019 why can't people be themselves?" but the sad truth is, not many think the same. Most countries criminalize same sex relationships till this day under threats of imprisonment or worse come to worse, death.

In 13 countries, being gay or bisexual is punishable by death. These countries include Sudan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Mauritania, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Quatar, UAE,parts of Nigeria, Somalia, Syria and Iraq. Just imagine the thought of you being who you are can send you plummeting down a 7 storey building to your demise.

In as many as 17 countries, bans are put to disallow propaganda that is so called advertising or promoting LGBTQ+ communities or Identities. As many as 40 countries retain a "gay panic" clause which allows people to carry out hate crimes such as assault and murder upon such individuals as a means to hurt as they were provoked just because the person was gay, lesbian or bisexual.

As a conclusion, this is why the fight for LGBTQ+ rights is still present and very much alive till this day. We as humans should support, love and care for one another no matter our differences in race, religion, creed or nationality.

News references:

- ABC news America ( https://abcnews.go.com/US/lgbt-pride-month-2018-history-events-parades/story?id=55414438 )

- Independent UK ( https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/gay-lesbian-bisexual-relationships-illegal-in-74-countries-a7033666.html )

Pride Celebration in New York City