Raymond Braun once said, ‘Every town should have their own pride event… from little rural towns to the biggest cities, and pride should reflect that.’
I agree with this statement. Especially having them in rural towns because not everybody can make it to the ones in cities.
Gay pride was coined in 1970. Gay communities around the country immediately latched on to the Stonewall riots as an event brought attention to their cause. (This year is the 50th anniversary of Stonewall riots). This led to a committee being formed to comemmorate the riots in 1970. The committee didn’t have a name for the events it wanted to hold in honour of LGBTQ+ rights. It tossed around the slogan ‘Gay Power’.
Schoonmaker said, ‘People did not have the power then; even now, we only have some. But anyone can have pride in themselves, and that would make them happier as people, and produce the movement likely to produce change.
We accept famous people who are part of the LGBTQ+ community; Jess Glynne, Lil Nas, Tim Cook and Kristen Stewart as people we may like on our screens as singers or actors.
So why don’t the majority of us accept people for who they are in our everyday lives? People who we actually know like our friends, our family, our colleagues.
The first rainbow flag was made in 1978. Before the flag, a pink triangle had symbolised the LGBTQ+ community. However, since that symbol had been used during Nazi Germany in concentration camps, people felt it wasn’t hopeful enough.
Gilbert Baker’s version of the flag had eight stripes rather than the six the flag carries today, to represent an aspect of the gay identity. Today, rainbow flags are the most common symbol at pride events. However, there are many different flags for each sexuality.
All of this was a very long and slow process for LGBTQ+ communities all over the nation.
STRAIGHT PRIDE: ‘Straight Pride’ is a slogan that arose in the late 1980s and early 1990s and has been used primarly by social conservative groups as a political stance and strategy.
STRAIGHT ALLY: An ally or straight ally or heterosexual ally is a heterosexual person who supports equal civil rights, gender equality, LGBTQ Social Movements, and challenges homophobia and transphobia. Despite this, some people who meet this definition do not identify themselves as allies.
In my opinion, all towns should have a pride event because it is a way for LGBTQ+ communities to express who they are. As a child, most of us were probably told that we should express ourselves and be proud of who we are. People who are LGBTQ+ are mostly told not to, although they are the same as everybody else. Pride events are a place of which people can be themselves without judgement and be proud of who they are.
In conclusion, people should have the right to be whoever they want to be. Let’s STOP judging people for who they are. This can be where a lot of anxiety forms these days.
DISCLAIMER: I have researched a lot of this information, so not all of it may be correct. My apologies if not.
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