June 2023
All Out With Pride! Words and sentiments to celebrate in 2023, as Los Angeles County lifts-up this year’s Pride Month theme in recognition of the contributions made, culture celebrated, challenges faced, voices shared, those lost, and the activism of allies and members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer – LGBTQ+ – community. This year’s theme underscores the importance of not only embracing LGBTQ+ identities but joyously celebrating them out loud as a way of recognizing the historical oppression and challenges that LGBTQ+ populations have overcome – and continue to face – on the path toward fighting for equality and progress in the United States and the world.
The path toward equality for LGBTQ+ communities has been arduous and long and filled with many historical moments such as gaining the constitutional right to marriage that only recently occurred in June of 2015. Aptly so, June was intentionally chosen as the month to uplift LGBTQ+ pride because it aligns with the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, a significant event in LGBTQ+ history when gay activists fought back against a discriminatory police raid on June 28, 1969. At the time, activities related to homosexuality were illegal across many cities in the United States, causing many LGBTQ+ individuals to seek refuge in expressing themselves authentically in safe spaces such as the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City. When police raided the bar in 1969, LGBTQ+ resisted the police, which led to a six-day long protest that was spearheaded by transgender women of color against laws that discriminate against LGBTQ+ people.
The next year, the Stonewall Riots were honored when thousands came together to celebrate its anniversary with a parade that took place in midtown Manhattan, sparking the first-ever Pride Parade that many have come to recognize as the hallmark of Pride Month. According to the Library of Congress, Pride Parades have also intentionally served as a vehicle for activists to continue demonstrating against the oppression faced by LGBTQ+ communities. Soon after the first Pride Parade celebrating the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in 1970, many cities began to celebrate LGBTQ+ identities while advocating for equality by holding Pride Parades of their own during the month of June.
In 1994, the celebrations taking place across the nation each June became known as a month-long recognition when a group of education-based organizations in the United States proclaimed June as Pride Month. The following year, the General Assembly of the National Education Association added Pride Month to its list of commemorative months. In June 2000, President Bill Clinton became the first president to formally designate the month of June as Gay and Lesbian Month, with President Barack Obama later renaming the month in 2009 to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride to be more inclusive to all identities.
First 5 LA celebrates Pride Month as a critical aspect of embracing the diversity of families in all their various forms. To help your family take part in this month’s Pride celebrations, and to support kids in learning about the importance of equality, we’ve compiled a list of educational resources and events taking place locally throughout the month of June. Check them out below:
Events
- Los Angeles Public Library: Celebrate Pride Month by making a button! – Wednesday, June 21, 2023, 4 p.m.
- Los Angeles Public Library: Wear your Pride! Everyone is invited to create their own rainbow bracelets as we celebrate Pride Month! – Wednesday, June 21, 2023, 5 p.m.
- Los Angeles Public Library: Pride Party With Ice Cream, Friendship Bracelets, and Lanyards – Tuesday, June 27, 2023, 4 p.m.
Family Resources
- Family Equality: Advocacy news, resources, and peer support for LGTBQ+ families
- The Trevor Project
- National Center for Transgender Equality
- TransYouth Family Allies
- Los Angeles LGBT Center
Educational Resources
