June is
Mes del Orgullo
Pride Month is an annual, month-long celebration of the societal contributions and history of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) community. From major cities to rural counties, communities across the world host colorful celebrations including parades, picnics, concerts, festivals, and more.
While Pride Month is a joyful celebration of love and acceptance, it is also a time to remember the struggles LGBTQ+ people have faced throughout history and continue to confront today. Pride Month is celebrated in June to commemorate the Stonewall Riots in June of 1969, a six day-long clash between LGBTQ+ activists and police after the violent raiding of New York City’s Stonewall Inn.
Historia
The LGBTQ+ Rights Movement in the United States began 100 years ago in 1924 with the founding of the Society for Human Rights in Chicago. This was the first recognized gay rights group in US history.
In its early days, the LGBTQ+ rights movement experienced significant setbacks and was facing a decades-long struggle for acceptance and support.
In 1952, the American Psychiatric Association listed homosexuality as a form of mental disorder, and in 1953, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed an executive order banning gay people from federal jobs. Queer people were denied employment, housing, loans, healthcare, and other basic rights.
Homosexuality and queerness were criminalized throughout history via harsh laws and statutes. Engaging in even mildly affectionate behavior in public with someone of the same sex was illegal in most of the United States, leading to continued harassment, arrests, and murders of LGBTQ+ individuals.
In June of 1969, police violently and aggressively raided the Stonewall Inn—a gay club in Greenwich Village, New York City. Police raids were common at LGBTQ+ hubs, but this time, queer patrons fought back. For six days, the Stonewall Riots clashed with police outside the club, making headlines around the world and putting the gay rights movement in the spotlight. On the first anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, community members in New York City organized the Christopher Street Liberation Day March—the first gay pride parade in history.
The fight for gay rights continued throughout the rest of the 20th century as the AIDS epidemic devastated the gay community across the United States. Over 700,000 people have died in the United States since the beginning of the epidemic— most of whom were gay men and transgender women. Government and public health officials ignored the epidemic, allowing the disease to decimate queer communities across the country.
In 2015, the Supreme Court Case Obergefell v. Hodges made gay marriage the law of the land in the United States. Seven years later, in 2022, President Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act, which codified the right for same-sex couples to marry in the United States.
Still, across the country, LGBTQ+ rights remain under attack, particularly for transgender and nonbinary people. That’s why Pride Month is so important—it’s a time to recommit ourselves to true allyship with the LGBTQ+ community.
The Stonewall Riots
The Stonewall Riots in New York City are considered a pivotal and defining moment of the Gay Rights Movement.
They began June 28, 1969, after police aggressively raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay club in Greenwich Village. The riots lasted six days and made headlines around the world, putting the gay rights movement in the global spotlight.
The following year, on the one-year anniversary of the riots, community members in New York City organized and participated in a Christopher Street Liberation Day march. This is now considered to be the first gay pride parade.
On June 24, 2016, President Obama announced the designation of the first national monument to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights known as The Stonewall National Monument. It encompasses Christopher Park, the Stonewall Inn, and the surrounding streets that were the sites of the 1969 Stonewall uprising.
Further Reading
Standing Up for the LGBTQ+ Community
Pennsylvania Senate Democrats are committed to fighting for equality and fair treatment for all individuals, regardless of their sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity, expression. This work continues at a crucial time when legislative bodies across the country, including here in Pennsylvania, introduce and pass discriminatory bills targeting the LGBTQ+ community.
In May 2023, House Democrats made history when they passed HB 300, the Fairness Act. The legislation would ban discrimination in Pennsylvania based on sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity, expression. Republican Senate leadership never considered the bill.
Governor Josh Shapiro, who as Attorney General consistently fought for LGBTQ+ Pennsylvanians and has stood up to the Trump Administration’s efforts to roll back rights and protections, says he would proudly sign the bill if it reaches his desk.
Senate Democrats strongly support the Fairness Act (HB 300) and hope to see it’s passage in both chambers this legislative session year.
Our members have also introduced their own bills to improve current systems and better serve and empower the LGBTQ+ community, including:
SB 150 (Santarsiero, Saval) – This bill would prohibit discrimination based on an individual’s sexual orientation, gender identity or expression.
SB 189 (Street) – This bill would help collect critical data about members of the LGBTQ+ community in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania so they can be better served by policy makers inside and outside of government.
SB 212 (Collett) – This bill would prohibit the use of any LGBTQ+ panic defense in the Commonwealth.
SB 389 (Boscola) – This bill would protect LGBTQ+ individuals from discrimination in the credit service industry.
SB 434 (Comitta) – This bill would bring state law up to date by repealing Section 1704 of Title 23 (Domestic Relations) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, which currently only recognizes marriage between a man and woman.
SB 437 (L. Williams, Cappelletti, Kearney, Muth) – This bill would require the PA Human Relations Commission to provide Pennsylvanians with clear information on the name change process and train staff, judges, and administrators.
SB 448 (Cappelletti, Kearney, Muth, L. Williams) – This bill would replace the antiquated judicial name change process in Pennsylvania with a simpler, more streamlined, and largely administrative process.
SB 477 (Kearney, Cappelletti, Muth, L. Williams) – This bill would remove sex designations from Pennsylvania birth certificates.
SB 496 (L. Williams, Comitta) – This bill would protect LGBTQ+ students from discrimination by schools that receive funding through EITC and OSTC. It would require schools which receive funding through these programs to have a written policy of nondiscrimination.
SB 510 (Kearney, Cappelletti, L. Williams, Muth) – This bill would help transgender individuals address their unique challenges when going through the process of changing their names by establishing a grant program for organizations that provide guidance and assistance to these individuals navigating this process.
SB 521 (Muth, Cappelletti, Kearney, L. Williams) – This bill would make the legal name change process more affordable and create privacy protections by removing the Title 54 requirements for publication and mandating the sealing of court records from the outset of the proceedings.
SB 819 (Cappelletti, Street) – This bill would ensure that parents and other guardians cannot be investigated or punished for obtaining evidence-based, patient-appropriate care for their transgender children.
CS Memo (Comitta, Schwank, Kim, Collett) – This bill would prohibit a service provider from denying any person the opportunity to become an adoptive or a foster parent, or delaying or denying the placement of a child or youth for adoption or into foster care, on the basis of the real or perceived disability, race, creed, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, national origin, ancestry, or any communicable disease, including HIV, of the prospective adoptive or foster parent or the child.
CS Memo (Street) – This bill would ward grants to non-profit organizations and local governments for health care, cultural competency, computer training, job placement, social activities, and other programs that specifically help the LGBTQ+ senior community.
CS Memo (Costa) – This bill package would improve Pennsylvania’s response to hate crimes and ethnic intimidation, ensuring justice for victims and providing for tracking, training, and other preventative measures against future violence.
Trailblazers
