A Pride Month protest taking place in New York City. Courtesy of nycpride.org
Introduction
On June 26th, 1969, police in New York City had raided Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in Greenwich Village. The bar was just one among many havens for those in the gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender community. This riot had inspired a wave of protests from the LGBT community across the United Nations, and eventually across the world.1
To pay homage to the Stonewall Riots in New York City, June was later unofficially declared as Pride Month. During this month, there are celebrations, marches, workshops, and other events in which members and supporters of the LGBT+ community can gather. 2
In 1970, one year after the riots in Stonewall, hundreds of protestors marched down Greenwich Village; this is sometimes considered one of the first pride marches. This had later spread to other liberal cities in the United States such as Los Angeles and San Francisco. 1 Later in 1978, the iconic symbol was designed — the rainbow flag — by Gilbert Baker, a San Franciscan artist.
Today, those hundreds of attendees have transformed into hundreds of thousands attendees; in fact, many have reached millions. 3
LGBT in STEM
While LGBT+ gather this month, important individuals of the LGBT+ community are also recognized. This month on the Young Scientist Journal we have a series of articles to recognize such individuals throughout history, as well as few interviews. This is to recognize an underrepresented group in STEM.
- \”Gay Pride | History, Flag, & Facts\”. 2020. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Gay-Pride.
- News, ABC. 2020. \”LGBT Pride Month 2020: What To Know About Its History, Events, Parades\”. ABC News. https://abcnews.go.com/US/lgbt-pride-month-2020-history-events-parades/story?id=71017699.
- Thompson, Brian. 2020. \”The History Of Pride Month And What It Can Teach Us About Moving Forward Today\”. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianthompson1/2020/06/01/the-history-of-pride-month-and-what-it-can-teach-us-about-moving-forward-today/#15a5219b4514.