Pride Month 2023: Everything there is to know

Rejoice, one and all, for Pride Month is upon us. Every year, for the month of June, Pride Month takes place as an opportunity to celebrate and raise awareness for the experiences of those who identify as queer.

Around the Western world, Pride month honours lesbian, gay, trans and other queer (LGBTQ+) people throughout the month June. This is not to be confused with LGBT+ history month, which takes place in February in the UK and October in the US.

Here’s what there is to know about Pride month:

What is Pride Month?

Pride Month is a month, typically June, dedicated to the celebration and commemoration of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender pride, which highlights the movement for LGBTQ rights and celebrates LGBTQ culture.

Why is Pride Month in June?

June was declared Pride month to commemorate the Stonewall riots, which was a series of protests by members of the gay community in Manhattan in New York, during June 28, 1969. The riots, which became a watershed moment that transformed queer liberation in the States, was in response to police raids and violence against the community.

When is London Pride parade?

The Pride in London parade will be held on Saturday July 1, 2023. From Hyde Park Corner to Whitehall Place, over 500 groups and 30,000+ participants will march in the iconic Pride in London parade.

What’s the difference between Pride month and LGBT history month?

According to Chapman University in the U.S, Pride month grew out of parades and other events that commemorated the 1969 protests against raids of popular gay bar Stonewall Inn in New York.

Ian Barnard, an English professor and director of Chapman’s LGBTQ Studies, says that LGBT history month, on the other hand “invites us to really rethink dominant narratives of individuals, communities, national events and histories.”

Why is Pride Month important?

Homosexuality is still illegal in more than 60 countries around the world and, worse, more than 10 countries still carry capital punishment for homosexual activity.

Despite a nationwide right to same sex marriage in the US, there are still creeping restrictions on LGBTQ+ people to be themselves in the so-called land of liberty. Florida’s Parental Rights in Education law — dubbed the ‘don’t say gay’ law — prevents teachers discussing “sexual orientation or gender identity” in schools.

It bears a lot of similarities to the British Section 28 law, introduced in 1988 and repealed in 2003.

Stonewall, the gay, lesbian and transgender rights charity, says that while there is a lot to celebrate about queer inclusivity, there is also a long way to go.

On its website, it says: “2023. This year marks 20 years since Section 28, the law that banned ‘promotion of homosexuality’ in the UK, was repealed. It was an attack on LGBTQ+ visibility, and together we resisted. And we’ve made progress in leaps and bounds since. But with parts of our community still under attack, we must remember why we can’t go back, and come together to keep moving forward. Let’s learn from our past and keep standing in solidarity to make history for our communities!”

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