Pride Month is here

Pride Month began in June 1970, one year after the Stonewall Riots on June 28, 1969, when police raided the Stonewall Inn in New York City and patrons fought back, sparking days of protests. The first Pride marches followed in cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York.

Although the official commemoration is all month long, there are also some special dates to remember:  June 1 is LGBTQ Families Day. June 12 is set aside for Pulse Remembrance. June 15 is the anniversary of the US Supreme Court Bostock decision (prohibiting employment discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity). June 26 is the anniversary of the US Supreme Court marriage equality ruling. June 27 is National HIV Testing Day. June 28 is Stonewall Day. There are also special days set aside in cities all over for marches, celebrations, and parades.

I can write about a lot of folks who are making a difference.  People like Alex Randolph, Mark Rhoades, Morey Riordan, Donna Sachet, Tim Seelig, Devlin Shand, Jake Stensberg, BeBe Sweetbriar, Susan Stryker, Lance Bass, Tom LeNoble, Marsha Levine, John Lewis, Janice Li, Madeleine Lim, Evan Low, Rachel Maddow, Honey Mahogany, Rafael Mandelman, Kippy Marks, Liam Mayclem, Gary McCoy, Michelle Meow, Paul Miller, Jeff Myers, Juanita MORE!, Michael Nguyen, Donna Personna, Nguyen Pham, Hank Plante, Jen Chan, Cecilia Chung, Lenore Chinn, Tim Cook, Dominique Crenn, Juan Davila, Roger Doughty, D’Arcy Drollinger, Bevan Dufty, Angel Fabian, Suzanne Ford, Stuart Gaffney, Moisés Garcia, Bob Goldfarb, Marga Gomez, Jewelle Gomez, Robert Holgate, Judy Young, Mark Abramson, Rebecca Prozan, Gary Virginia, Scott Wiener, Lisa Williams, Manny Yekutiel, Sara Yergovich, Marcy Adelman, Tita Aida, Andrea Aiello, Tom Ammiano, Sophia Andary, Billie Joe Armstrong, Crystal Jang, Cleve Jones, Rebecca Kaplan, Dan Choi, Brian Boitano, Aaron Boot-Haury, Nate Bourg, Kate Brown, Hossein Carney, Patrick Carney, Leslie Katz, Kate Kendell, David Landis, Mark Leno, and so many others. I could also write about so many who have come before.

In 2026 it is more important than ever. I keep seeing hateful messages on social media and there have been many efforts to roll back laws that protect freedoms and rights.  Don't let hate win.  Remember.  Fight.  Celebrate.  Always have hope.  More LGBTQ+ stories here in the days ahead.