Spotlight
Celebrating LGBTQ+ Pride at DPPL
06.04.24
June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month, and we felt it fitting to cover what pride is, as well as a brief history of the event.
And a LOT of book recommendations! (see below)
Originally, LGBTQ+ Pride events took place on June 28th to commemorate the anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall Riots, which began on June 28th after the Stonewall Inn was raided by law enforcement and lasted until July 2nd.
The month of June was declared Gay and Lesbian Pride Month in 2000 by President Bill Clinton.
The name was changed to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month in 2009 by President Barack Obama, as it was more inclusive.
And 2016 saw the creation of the Stonewall National Monument in order to recognize the origins of modern Pride.
However, the gay rights movement in the United States has a lengthy history, with the 1924 founding of the Society for Human Rights by Henry Gerber being viewed as the start.
The Society was the first gay rights organization recognized in an official capacity within the United States after the Chicago-based organization received a charter from the Illinois State Government.
After World War II, a number of gay rights organizations began to form, including the Mattachine Society.
Three years before Stonewall, Mattachine hosted a Sip-In protest at a bar in New York City named Julius, as it was illegal to serve alcohol to anyone who was gay.
Of course, there have been significant strides in gay rights since then – including the 2015 Obergefell vs. Hodges ruling that LGBTQ+ couples have the right to marry.
But Stonewall is seen as the event that put the modern gay rights movement into motion.
Interested in learning more?
Here are just a few of the many resources available at DPPL and online at DPPL.org:
NONFICTION
Chicago whispers : a history of LGBT Chicago before Stonewall
by St. Sukie De la Croix
Book
