The beginning of the PRIDE movement has its origins back in the early 1950’s.
The Mattachine Society, the Daughters of Billitis, and The One magazine (the first magazine openly dedicated to educating and advocating for LGBTQOI+ individuals) were part of something referred to as the Homophile movement. This movement was dedicated to the advancement of civil rights for lesbian and gay people (archaic terms at this point).
The protests started as peaceful.
There were “sip-ins” at bars where the bartenders publicly served gay patrons. Gay bars were illegal at this point. There were peaceful protests. But the cauldron of outrage boiled over and the protests starting angrily ramping up. If these organizations were the kindling, the Stonewall riots (1969) were the match that triggered the fiery protests over discrimination and lack of civil rights that were the lived experience of gay community during that time.
Being a gay person was dangerous.
If you were outed, you lost your job, your reputation, your family, your home and were at risk of being arrested, as being a gay person was against the law. Any relationship had to be kept secret, stay on the down low. The thought of a legal union sanctioned by the government was the stuff that dreams were made of.
Being ostracized was only the tip of the iceberg.
Your safety was at risk as the hate mongering was so intense, that you could be beaten at the very least or killed due to fear-based ignorance. The prevailing theory was that same-gender attraction could be cured.
This is the foundation of PRIDE month.
Things to consider, we have come a long way, but we still have further to go.
HAVEN stands with the LGBTQ+ community as a safety net agency and an ally.
WE ARE HERE FOR YOU. WE SEE YOU.
If you, or anyone you know, is a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or human trafficking, please call HAVEN on our 24/7 crisis line at (209) 577-5980 or our business line at (209) 524-4331. Help is just a phone call away.