Where does “Pride” come from?
The history of Pride started with the Stonewall Uprising (riots and protests that followed police invasion of a gay bar) in New York City on June 28, 1969.
Months later, activists gathered at a conference to make plans to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall raid. Their proposal was for an annual march on the last Saturday in June. A member of the planning committee, L. Craig Schoonmaker, suggested “Pride” as a slogan for the event. The idea of “Gay Power” was also suggested, but Schoonmaker argued that while gay individuals lacked power, one thing they did have was pride. The official chant for the march became: “Say it loud, gay is proud.”
Pride Month may be in June (commemorating the June 1969 Stonewall Uprising) but LGBT History Month is in October.
Who designed the first Pride Flag?
The first rainbow pride flag was designed by artist Gilbert Baker, and it debuted at a 1978 event in San Francisco. The original flag had 8 colors, including a hot pink. Due to challenges of availability of some fabric colors, subsequent versions of the flag had the traditional 6 colors of the rainbow.
Who were the first gay Americans on the US postage stamp?
Several pioneering Americans, who also happened to be openly gay, have been featured on postage stamps over the years: poet and playwright Edna St. Vincent Millay (1981); playwright Tennessee Williams (1995); writer and activist James Baldwin (2004); choreographer Isadora Duncan (2012). Harvey Milk, one of the first openly gay elected officials in the US, was honored in a 2014 stamp that also featured the Pride Flag.
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Penny Schnarrs
Virtual Communities Program Manager
Association of American Medical Colleges
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