A crowd commemorates the second anniversary of the Stonewall riots in Greenwich Village of New York City in 1971. In 2019, 50 years after the riots, the NYPD formally apologized, stating that the police at the time of the riots enforced discriminatory laws. Photo credit: Grey Villet, Life Picture Collection, Getty Images
As Parsons Behle & Latimer celebrates Pride Month, we offer the following history from the Library of Congress:
“Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Pride Month is currently celebrated each year in the month of June to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan. The Stonewall Uprising was a tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the United States. In the United States, the last Sunday in June was initially celebrated as "Gay Pride Day," but the actual day was flexible. In major cities across the nation the "day" soon grew to encompass a month-long series of events. Today, celebrations include pride parades, picnics, parties, workshops, symposia and concerts and LGBTQ Pride Month events attract millions of participants around the world. Memorials are held during this month for those members of the community who have been lost to hate crimes or HIV and AIDS. The purpose of the commemorative month is to recognize the impact that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals have had on history locally, nationally and internationally.”
President Bill Clinton first designated June as Gay and Lesbian Pride Month on June 11, 1999, with President Barack Obama proclaiming June Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month 10 years later. This June is the 53rd anniversary of the first Pride parade, which happened in 1970, one year after the Stonewall uprising.
Parsons recognizes and celebrates its LGBTQ employees. Happy Pride!
