With this past month being dedicated to PRIDE, OBE's Diversity and Inclusion Group (DIG) produced a digital zine that shared resources, history and culture with our internal team. Now we'd like to share some of this content with the rest of the world—spreading the love, continuing the celebration, and supporting our LGBTQIA+ community.
Why is June Pride month?
Pride Month was initially inspired by the 1969 Stonewall Uprising and works to achieve equal justice and opportunity for LGBTQIA+ Americans.
The Stonewall Uprising occurred June 28, 1969, and was a tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the United States. In the 1960s, the Stonewall Inn in New York City’s Greenwich Village was a gay club and refuge for many in the LGBTQIA+ community. On June 28, 1969, the New York City police raided the inn, sparking a riot among bar patrons and neighborhood residents with the police. The riot involved hundreds of people and led to six days of protests and violent clashes with law enforcement outside the bar on Christopher Street, in neighboring streets and in nearby Christopher Park.
A year later on June 28, thousands of people marched from the Stonewall Inn to Central Park in what was then called “Christopher Street Liberation Day”—marking what is now recognized as the nation’s first gay pride parade. Since 1970, LGBTQIA+ people and allies have continued to gather together in June to march with pride and demonstrate for equal rights.
LGBTQIA+ History Makers:
the ones who made it happen.
BAYARD RUSTIN
Openly gay man who spoke often about the importance of fighting for LGBTQ rights—worked closely with Martin Luther King and was the one who organized the March on Washington.
STORMÉ DELARVERIE
Drag king who started the fight back against the police during the Stonewall raid.
MARSHA P. JOHNSON
On the frontlines of the Stonewall Riots, community leader who started the advocacy organization S.T.A.R. to help homeless gay and transgender youth.
SYLVIA RIVERA
Gay liberation and transgender rights activist, co-founded S.T.A.R. with Marsha P. Johnson.
BILLIE JEAN KING
First openly gay professional athlete, won the Battle of the Sexes match.
RACHEL MADDOW
Commentator on MSNBC, LGBTQ activist and first openly gay woman to be a Rhodes Scholar.
Resources we love:
Take it forward.
Never assume someone's sexuality.
How someone looks or acts is not an indication of who they love. But also don’t assume you have the right to know the details of someone’s personal life.
Never assume someone's pronouns.
Get comfortable asking respectfully (good example of this shown in an Indeed ad).
Add your pronouns to your zoom name
(and social media accounts).
Dig deeper when buying from a company.
A rainbow logo does not a queer company make! Apply your research, strategy, and vetting skills to your own purchases.
Diversify your bookshelves, Netflix queus, and spotify playlists.
The stories and songs you consume affect your worldview, so be sure to expand what you are taking in.
The more ya know.
Linked resources to learn more:
WORKPLACE
- Ways to Be a Better LGBTQ+ Ally in the Office
- Steps Leaders Can Take to Make Their Workplaces LGBTQ-Inclusive
HELPFUL FACTS AND ARTICLES
- Powerful LGBTQIA+ Leaders, Educators & Advocates to Follow and Support Now & Always
- A Guide to Gender Inclusive Pronouns
- Understanding Anti-Trans Violence and Ending the Crisis
- Rally in Brooklyn to Protest for Trans Youth
- LGBTQI Mental Health Facts
- Dismantling a Culture of Violence: Understanding Anti-Transgender Violence and Ending the Crisis
- Claim Your Rights PFLAG resource center
- Parenting a Gender Diverse Child: Hard Questions Answered