Pride Month is a month-long celebration dedicated to amplifying LGBTQ+ voices. What started as a demonstration against police mistreatment, discrimination, and violence has evolved into political activism and honoring the accomplishments of the community. In addition to celebrating Pride Month, it’s a time to remember the struggles that the community faces in their continuing fight for equality. It’s a time to learn the stories and experiences of those in the LGBTQ+ community.
Pride Month raises awareness front and center of the challenges that those in the LGBTQ+ community face year-round. We’ve compiled 30 facts about Pride Month for your social media team to start the conversation on equality and celebrate the accomplishments and victories of those in the LGBTQ+ community. Tweeting frequently during June can help you increase engagement, gain followers, and connect with those around you!
- The #Stonewall Uprising was a series of protests by members of the gay community after a police raid on The Stonewall Inn, a gay bar known amongst the LGBTQ+ in New York City, in June 1969.
- The #Stonewall Uprising is a major turning point in the fight for #equality for the LGBTQ+ community. The Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village was named a National Historic Landmark in 2000 and established as the Stonewall National Monument in 2016 by President Obama.
- The #Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center broke ground on June 24, 2022, with plans for the center to open in 2024. The Visitor Center will host events and feature exhibits and art installations by LGBTQ+ artists.
- In May 1959, what is believed to be the first documented LGBTQ+ uprising occurred when several members of the LGBTQ+ community fought with police at #CoopersDonuts in LA over constant mistreatment.
- The first #Pride march in New York City in 1970 was known as the Christopher Street Gay Liberation Day March. #PrideMonth is celebrated every June in honor of the 1969 #Stonewall Uprising, with Pride marches now held in cities across the globe.
- Brenda Howard was a bisexual woman known as the “Mother of Pride.” She organized the Christopher Street Liberation Day March and was an activist for LGBTQ+ rights.
- The rainbow flag was created in 1978 by activist Gilbert Baker. The rainbow array of colors on the #Pride flag represents the diversity of the LGBTQ+ community.
- The #Pride flag was commissioned by San Francisco city supervisor Harvey Milk – one of the first openly gay elected officials in the US – to make a flag for the city’s upcoming Pride celebrations.
- A pink triangle was used as a symbol of shame by the Nazis in concentration camps. The lavender triangle was used to identify lesbians in concentration camps. Both colored triangles are now used as a symbol of pride by the LGBTQ+ rights movement.
- The #ProgressPride flag created by Daniel Quasar in 2018 includes additional colors to represent marginalized groups within the LGBTQ+ community.
- Laverne Cox is an American actress, producer, and transgender rights activist. She is best known for her role as Sophia Burset in the Netflix series “Orange Is the New Black”. Laverne inspired the first transgender Barbie doll!
- The LGBTQ+ rights movement has made significant progress in recent years but continues to face discrimination and violence.LGBTQ+ individuals are four times more likely to experience anti-LGBT+ violence or abuse.
- 64 countries still criminalize same-sex relationships, and many countries do not have laws to protect LGBTQ+ individuals from #discrimination in schools or the workplace.
- Marsha P. Johnson was an American transgender activist and self-described “street queen.” She was a prominent figure in the 1969 #Stonewall riots, which are considered to be a turning point in the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement.
- Henry Gerber founded The Society for Human Rights in 1924, the oldest LGBTQ+ rights organization in the U.S. The Henry Gerber House was declared a National Historic Landmark in 2015.
- On June 26, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in all 50 states. This ruling means that no state can deny a same-sex marriage union.
- Today, there are over 20 different #Pride flags, each one symbolizing a different identity within the LGBTQIA+ community, such as the Transgender Pride Flag, Lesbian Pride Flag, QPOC Pride Flag, and so many more beautiful flags.
- Some of the overarching goals of the LGBTQ+ movement are ending discrimination against LGBTQ+ people in all areas of life, protecting LGBTQ+ youth from bullying and harassment, and promoting awareness of LGBTQ+ issues and culture.
- Achievements in the LGBTQ+ rights movement have included several anti-LGBTQ+ laws having been repealed along with the legalization of same-sex marriage in many countries.
- The critical passage of laws that protect LGBTQ+ people from discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations have made great strides in the fight for #equalrights.
- Representation matters! The increasing visibility of LGBTQ+ people in the media and in society at large has made a positive difference for LGBTQ+ community members.
- In the US, the last Sunday in June was originally celebrated as “Gay Pride Day,” but the celebrations grew across the country to the current #PrideMmonth.
- In 1955, the Daughters of Bilitis in San Francisco became known as the first lesbian rights group in the US. It was founded by a group of women led by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyons. #DaughtersofBilitis
- Not all Pride celebrations are held in #June. Atlanta Pride, Orlando Pride, and Kentuckiana Pride all occur nearer to National Coming Out Day, which is on October 11. #Pride all year round!
- On June 11, 1999, Proclamation No. 7203, officially issued by the presidential administration, recognized June as Gay and Lesbian #PrideMonth. On June 1, 2021, a proclamation by the current administration once again officially recognized LGBTQ+ Pride Month.
- Sylvia Rivera was a trans rights activist who played a part in the #Stonewall Uprising. She created S.T.A.R (Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries) to help house homeless LGBTQ+ youth and fought for transgender rights until her death.
- June 2023 will mark the 53rd anniversary of the #Stonewall Uprising and commemorate its status as a symbol of the LGBTQ+ rights movement.
- Each color on the six-color #Pride flag has its own meaning; red symbolizes life, orange means healing, yellow stands for sunshine, green means nature, blue symbolizes harmony, and purple represents spirit.
- James Baldwin was an American novelist, essayist, playwright, poet, and social critic. He was a prominent figure in the African-American civil rights movement and the LGBTQ+ rights movement.
- To support the LGBTQ+ community, attend a #Pridemarch or event, donate to an LGBTQ+ organization, speak out against discrimination against LGBTQ+ people, educate yourself about LGBTQ+ issues, and be an ally to LGBTQ+ people in your life.
Add these hashtags to your Pride Month tweets: #pridemonth #pride #lgbtq #lgbt #loveislove #equality #lovewins #ally #SunShinesOnPride
Engage with your audience over the course of 30 days — one for each day of Pride Month. If you are looking to connect with your audience, learn more tips, and discover content ideas, reach out to our social marketing team here at Ironmark. Our experts are here to help.
