Whether you’re a member of the LGBTQ+ community or an ally, here’s everything you need to know about Pride Month.
What is Pride Month?
Pride Month is the whole month of June dedicated to celebrating the LGBTQ+ communities all around the world. It's about people coming together in love and friendship, to show how far gay rights have come, even if in some places there's still some work to be done.
Pride Month is about teaching tolerance, education in pride history and continuing to move forward in equality.
Why is Pride celebrated in June?
Pride Month is celebrated in June to honour the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan — a tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the United States. The first official Pride parade began the following year on the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, with Christopher Street Liberation Day. The next year, in 1971, cities around the United States, and the world, held their own Pride marches from Boston to London to West Berlin.
How was the original rainbow flag created?
In 1978, Harvey Milk, a San Francisco city supervisor and the first openly gay politician elected to office in California, asked his friend Gilbert Baker to create a symbol for the LGBTQ+ community. Baker got to work and created two multi-coloured flags with eight colours. The flags were a huge success when Baker unveiled them at the 1978 San Francisco Pride Parade.
As demand for the flag increased, in 1979 its original eight colours were narrowed down to six: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. Fewer colours kept production costs low and made the flags easier to display.
What do the colours on the flag represent?
Each colour on the original flag had a special meaning: Pink represented sex, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sunlight, green for nature, turquoise for magic, blue for serenity, and violet represented spirit.
How many LGBTQ+ flags are there?
There are currently over 20 different LGBTQ+ flags that tell the story of the individuals they represent – acting as tools of visibility.
How is Pride being celebrated in the UK in 2021?
Usually, Pride is celebrated with parades and large events. Due to COVID-19, many events have turned virtual or have been pushed back to later in the year.
When is Global Pride Day?
Global Pride Day will be celebrated this year on 28 June.
How Shrewsbury Colleges Group celebrates Pride Month
Every year SCG staff and students celebrate Pride Month in a number of ways which you can find out about on our Pride webpage.