Afro-Queer Studies

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex Pride Month (LGBTQI+) Pride Month, 2023

"Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Pride Month is currently celebrated each year in the month of June to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan. The Stonewall Uprising was a tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the United States. In the United States the last Sunday in June was initially celebrated as "Gay Pride Day," but the actual day was flexible. In major cities across the nation the "day" soon grew to encompass a month-long series of events."

From The Library of Congress Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Pride Month About Page

A Proclamation on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex Pride Month, 2023

    In June 1969, a courageous group of Americans rose up to protest the violence and marginalization they faced in what became known as the Stonewall Uprising.  Police had raided the Stonewall Inn — a gay bar located in New York City — and for the next six days they clashed with LGBTQI+ protestors, who bravely stood their ground.  Their courage sparked a civil rights movement for the liberation of the LGBTQI+ community and changed our Nation forever.  

     During Pride Month, we honor a movement that has grown stronger, more vibrant, and more inclusive with every passing year.  Pride is a celebration of generations of LGBTQI+ people, who have fought bravely to live openly and authentically.  And it is a reminder that we still have generational work to do to ensure that everyone enjoys the full promise of equity, dignity, protection, and freedom.      

     NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2023 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex Pride Month.  I call upon the people of the United States to recognize the achievements of the LGBTQI+ community, to celebrate the great diversity of the American people, and to wave their flags of pride high.

 JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

From: The White House Please click link to read full "A Proclamation on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex Pride Month, 2023"