Pride Month may be marked on the calendar from June 1st through June 30th, but the jubilance doesn’t end when June does.
Pride is a constant, unable to be boxed up in neat, uniform squares. If there is one thing we know about Pride Month, it doesn’t conform to standard expectations. Our celebrations prove that.
We have more than earned the right to celebrate year-round the magnificence of our individuality and the power of our community.
The diverse and passionate LGBTQQIP2SAA community is filled with such a wonderful and strong spirit. Maison Vie is proud to not only be part of this community but also avidly support it by providing affordable therapy and counseling as well as access to other much-needed resources and support. Over the years, we have helped many LGBTQ+ individuals live happier and healthier relationships, promote understanding among families, build bonds, create connections, and provide support.
Decades of judgment, injustice, inequality, and living on the outskirts have showcased our community’s incredible resilience and given rise to the freedoms we enjoy today. Maison Vie has been a part of continuing to turn struggles into strengths, so we know our community is irrepressible. But we also know the fight for that freedom is never done.
The closet doors open slowly for those who struggle with change. Yet, with each creak, the opening of so many doors has afforded acceptance, fairness, unity, and visibility for us to shine and be among the majority.
Though we have come a long way, we must not lose sight of those in the past. The ancestors of our community — the original “LGB-ers” — created the foundation on which we now stand and build. When considering the long, hard, and winding road needed to achieve equality under U.S. law, we beam with pride that goes far beyond one month.
Let us take a moment to reflect on the slow yet steady advancement and milestones made through the tireless, passionate work of the LGBTQ+ community.
1924: The Society for Human Rights is formed (Henry Gerber formed a gay rights organization in Chicago).
1950: The Mattachine Society is formed (Harry Hay’s gay rights group).
1961: Illinois decriminalizes homosexuality.
1970: Street Liberation Day, which is considered the first gay pride parade, occurred in NYC honoring the first anniversary of the Stonewall riots.
1973: Lambda Legal is established specifically to address and fight for the rights of our community.
1973: Our families and friends form their first support meeting. PLFAG sprouted from this meeting in 1982.
1973: Homosexuality is no longer a mental illness or psychiatric disorder just because of our sexual attraction. We are psychiatrically considered nonclinical or normal!
1978: The first rainbow flag is designed and displayed in honor of Harvey Milk, an openly gay elected official in California who advocated for gay rights.
1982: Wisconsin takes the lead for anti-discrimination laws.
1994 – 1996: In consecutive years, the Clinton Administration establishes (1) the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (1994; overturned in 2011 and adjusted in 2015), (2) the “Hate Crimes Sentencing Enhancement Act” (1995), and (3) the “Defense Against Marriage Act” (1996; overturned in 2015).
2015: Same-sex marriage starts gaining ground state by state and this act is affirmed by the US Supreme Court’s decision to deny challenges by five states (Utah, Oklahoma, Virginia, Indiana, & Wisconsin), and to rule for the right to marry for all in three states (Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, & Michigan).
2016: The Stonewall National Monument is erected, affirming LGBTQ rights across the U.S.
2017: The Civil Rights Act is affirmed as supporting anti-discrimination of LGBTQ+ people in the workplace, which was again affirmed by the US Supreme Court in 2020.
2021: US passports allow for marking “X” as a gender marker, thus no longer only binary options.
2021: Although the Trump administration temporarily banned transgender people from participating in the military, the Biden administration repealed it.
2022: Carl Nassib becomes the first openly gay active player in the NFL.
2023: Kevin Maxen comes out as the first openly gay coach in men’s US sports.
2023: Che Flores becomes the first openly trans/non-binary referee for the NBA (National Basketball Association).
2023: Laphonza Butler is elected as the country’s first-ever openly LGBTQ+ Senator of color in California.
2023: Danica Roem becomes Virginia’s first transgender Senator and the second-ever trans senator in the US.
NEED SUPPORT?
Need to talk to someone who is in and understands the LGBTQ+ community?
Get in touch with Susan Harrington, the founder of Maison Vie New Orleans, who can help guide you through counseling sessions or connect you with the resources you seek.
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