The start of June marks the beginning of Pride Month around the U.S. and some parts of the world. It’s a season to celebrate the lives and experiences of LGBTQ+ communities and to protest against recent attacks on hard-won gains in civil rights.
At the Connecticut state Capitol in Hartford, lawmakers and advocates gathered Thursday with Robin Fierce, a Connecticut contestant from season 15 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” to celebrate the start of Pride Month with a flag-raising ceremony.
Joe Grabarz, Connecticut's first openly-gay state lawmaker, said there is a “counter-reaction in this country against equality, against justice, against civil rights, against the truth.”
Grabarz came out while in office three decades ago. He urged people to attend gay pride events and Juneteenth events in the state.
Steven Hernández said it's never too early for parents to tell children they "love them because of how they were created." Hernández is executive director of the state Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity & Opportunity.
"Come out to your children early, that you will love them unconditionally," Hernández said. "Come out to them before they have to come out to you. Because that is the strongest protective factor that you can ever give to your child."
How it started nationwide
June has been an important month for the LGBTQ+ rights movement since New York City's first Pride march — then dubbed the “Christopher Street Gay Liberation Day” march — on June 28, 1970.
That event marked an act of defiance from the year before, a 1969 uprising at New York City's Stonewall Inn. After a police raid at the gay bar, a crowd partly led by trans women of color channeled their anger to confront authorities. It was a catalyst to what became a global movement for LGBTQ+ rights.
For more than a half-century, the annual marches have been an opportunity to demand action on specific issues such as the AIDS epidemic and same-sex marriage while also serving as a public celebration.
How it’s going
These days, Pride celebrations and events can be found all over the country.
Many of the nation’s largest cities — including New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Denver and Minneapolis — hold their main marches on the last weekend of June, while some cities host their events throughout the month or even at other times of the year.
Along with the marches, Pride organizers fill the month of June with events ranging from readings and performances to parties and street festivals.
What are the flashpoints?
Pride parades had plenty to celebrate in recent years, such as in 2015, when the U.S. Supreme Court recognized same-sex marriage in the Obergefell v. Hodges decision.
But the last several years have been more difficult; Pride events were restricted during the pandemic, and when they returned to in-person last year, it was with a sense of urgency, given the rise of hateful rhetoric and anti-LGBTQ legislative action.
Around the country, at least 17 states have put restrictions or bans on gender-affirming medical care for minors, and transgender athletes are facing restrictions at schools in at least 20 states.
“This is a year where sentiment is going to be revolving around resistance and about finding strength and community and centering our joy and our right to exist and our right to be here,” said Cathryn Oakley, state legislative director and senior counsel for the Human Rights Campaign organization.
LGBTQ+ communities, Oakley said, need to “commit ourselves to continued resistance against the forces that are trying to prevent us from being our full, joyful, happy, thriving selves. ... And band together and fight back against the very oppressive forces that are coming for us.”
Connecticut Public Radio’s Chris Polansky, Matt Dwyer, Patrick Skahill and The Associated Press contributed to this report. This story has been updated.
