June is rapidly coming to an end and as it does, so will Pride 2026, but should it?
I have a LOT of allies on my zombie Facebook account, but I still tend to hear the usual questions and comments:
- How come ‘dem damned gays get an entire month?
- The Bible says Pride is a sin so you shouldn’t do that.
- Why do you need a pride month and when is “XYZ” month?
Sometimes these questions are asked in earnest and sometimes they are asked by homophobes and fearmongers to still up dissention.
I don’t plan on structuring this in the reverse pyramid s my newspaper editor won’t like it, but I want to save my main message until the end.
Cause for reflection:
The whole process for this column started because I was fortunate enough to sit in at the inaugural meeting of a new pride organization. There weren’t many in attendance but then the idea was put together a mere 18 days ago.
The reason they put the group together was because they were told that in their city, while the city council has no ordinance against Pride displays or Pride flyers both are “highly discouraged” (if this sounds like a threat to you, it does to me as well) and they wanted to do something to show the local LGBTQ+ community that they are seen. The organizers even had to move it just outside of the city limits because the original location in the city was pulled at the last minute.
That is one of the big reasons that Pride is needed, hate still exists and the LGBTQ+ community needs to see they are valued.
When and why did Pride start though?
Picture it, Sicily, 1936 . . . sorry, channeling the wrong storyteller.
In all seriousness, the first Pride was not a pretty rainbow and unicorn laden event with vendors selling all kinds of wares. The first Pride was a fucking riot, literally.
On June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn in New York City. The police arrived at the Inn to conduct a “routine” raid and arrest anyone crossdressing, essentially, transgender individuals.
This raid didn’t really follow the script though as the patrons as around 400 patrons and individuals milling around started harassing the police to the point where they had to retreat into the bar for protection and call for reinforcements. The police barricades were eventually breached and the bar burned to the ground. For the next five days the riot would ebb and flow and, in a time, where the feminist movement and the civil rights movement were taking off the gay and lesbian rights movement was born.
While there is some debate on who threw the first object and fought back the three candidates I have found were all transgender so for perhaps the first time, lesbian, gay, and transgender individuals united around a common cause.
From there, the fight for rights continued (and continues today) with the Christopher Street Liberation March on June 28, 1970. In time, the parades led to today’s Pride events which, while a celebration of community, should still remind us that Pride was and is (even if in more peaceful terms) a riot and someday soon, bricks may be needed again.
Where are things today?
As of June 28, 2026, more than 75 anti LGBTQ+ laws have been enacted, more than double the previous year (per the Human Rights Campaign). The fight is a LONG way from being done.
Nine percent of Americans identify as LGBTQ+, a number which is probably under reported due to fear. Over 22% of gen Z identify as LGBTQ+. Obviously, the total number in the United States will only continue to grow and cannot tolerate having their rights taken away.
So, when I get asked, “how come ‘dem damned gays get an entire month? I like to flip the script a bit and ask:
“If you were in danger of losing the right to marry who you wanted, if you were in danger of losing your healthcare, life saving healthcare, because of who you are, and if you were being threatened with losing your right to vote, would you only take a month?”
The answer is, of course not, and that is why I believe that Pride should be a yearlong celebration of unity and community. We should NEVER go gentle into that night. We need to stay focused, stay organized, stay unified, and fight like our lives depend on it, because they do.