Happy Pride Month!
At Centra, we strive to create value for our Members, Team Members, and the Communities we serve. Celebrating Pride Month supports this vision and our goal to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Pride Month is celebrated annually during the month of June to recognize the history and accomplishments of the LGBTQ+ community. The month-long celebration sparked from the 1969 Stonewall Riots when New York City police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay club located in Greenwich Village in New York City.1
Since then, Pride Month has been used as a time to not only look back on that pivotal moment in LGBTQ+ history, but to also come together and continue the push for change and equality. Although there have been great strides in progress, the LGBTQ+ community still lacks protections for fundamental rights and dignity. This year will be the 53rd Pride Month celebration.
Achievements
The LGTBQ+ community has made progress in the fight for change. Here are just some of their achievements:
- The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that all state bans on same-sex marriage were unconstitutional in the landmark case Obergefell v. Hodges, making gay marriage legal in all 50 states in 2015.2
- In a 6-3 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 must protect gay and transgender workers from employment discrimination.3
- The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Equality Act in 2019. This was the first time a chamber of Congress approved a comprehensive LGBTQ+ civil rights bill.4
- The repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was signed by then President Barack Obama, revoking the discriminatory ban on openly LGBTQ+ people serving in all branches of the military. “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was enforced for 17 years.5
- To promote diversity within the movement, the 21st Century Fellows program created a cohort of managers including more than 20 people of color at various LGBTQ+ organizations.6
- Pride is celebrated around the globe through WorldPride in cities such as Jerusalem, London, Toronto, Madrid, New York City, and Copenhagen.7
Resources
Interested in learning more about Pride Month and the LGBTQ+ movement? Here are some helpful resources:
- Human Rights Campaign
- History.com – Gay Rights
- InterPride – WorldPride
- Library of Congress
- National Today – Pride Month
1 – https://www.history.com/topics/gay-rights/the-stonewall-riots
2 – https://www.history.com/topics/gay-rights/gay-marriage
3 – https://www.haasjr.org/perspectives/historic-win
4, 5 – https://www.hrc.org/news/defining-a-decade-hrc-celebrates-progress-toward-lgbtq-equality
6 – https://www.haasjr.org/our-work/leadership/supporting-lgbt-leaders-of-color
7 – https://www.iglta.org/Events/LGBTQ-Pride-Calendar#pride-calendar