This year, some Pride Month festivities will resume in person, depending on where you live. A New York rally held the next year to commemorate the first anniversary of the riots started the now-regular tradition of Pride Month.īelow, we suggest ways you can get involved, what you can watch and read, and other ways to celebrate the LGBTQ community. The six-day period of protests and demonstrations is now known as the Stonewall Riots.

A diverse crowd of lesbians, gay men and transgender women, many of whom were people of color, clashed with the police, threw bottles and refused to be intimidated. Similar raids on gay-friendly businesses had been occurring for decades, but Stonewall was one of the first times when the patrons fought back. Though the police claimed the bar was operating with an improper liquor license, the raid was about nothing more than violently harassing and arresting LGBTQ people in one of the few places where they felt safe. Why does Pride Month take place in June? It goes back to June 28, 1969, when police raided a gay club called the Stonewall Inn in New York. This year, many celebrations across the globe will resume as COVID-19 restrictions are lifted and more people receive a coronavirus vaccine. June marks the 51st celebration of Pride Month, a time when millions of people come together in support of the LGBTQ community by walking in parades and attending festivals.