June is here and you know what that means: It’s Pride Month! What started as an uprising against discrimination, Pride has blossomed into a worldwide celebration of joy, self-expression, love, and acceptance.
At Taskrabbit, we celebrate Pride not just in June, but all year round by remembering how far the LGBTQIA+ community has come and the work still left to be done.
History and Heritage
We can’t talk about Pride without talking about the Stonewall Uprising in June 1969, when police raided the Stonewall Inn, a popular gay club in New York City. This sparked a fire in the LGBTQIA+ community—protests and conflict with police ensued and continued for six days. This moment ignited the LGBTQIA+ rights movement we’re familiar with today.
The first Pride marches took place a year after Stonewall (June 28, 1970) in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and other cities. Now, over 50 years later, the tradition is alive and well, honoring the adversity and prejudice LGBTQIA+ pioneers endured. Each parade is a beautiful rainbow-wrapped reminder of how far we’ve come and the progress still to be made.
Visibility and Representation
It’s no secret that for years, LGBTQIA+ individuals had to hide their authentic selves. But no more—Pride is a defiant act against forced invisibility and shame. People can be visible and take up space, celebrating their identities in the open. This unapologetic visibility sends the message that the LGBTQIA+ will not be ignored or erased.
Community and Support
Pride Month provides the fun stuff—parties, glitter, and rainbows—but it also serves as a support system to the LGBTQIA+ community. For the many people who have been rejected by their family, friends, and society at large, community is a lifeline. These events, and the community that comes along with them, create spaces where unconditional love and belonging can blossom. People get to surround themselves with others who understand their struggles and are in the fight alongside them.
So whether you’re planning to celebrate at a Pride parade or show your support by donating to LGBTQIA+ charities and shopping at LGBTQIA+-owned businesses, the contributions you make to the ongoing fight against equality will have a lasting impact.
