Happy Pride Month

June marks the start of Pride Month in the UK and around the world. Pride is celebrated in June as this is when the Stonewall riots took place; these were important protests that took place in 1969 in the US, that changed gay rights for a lot of people in America and around the world. Pride is about embracing and encouraging equality, acceptance and solidarity with people in the LGBTQ+ community. 

Global Pride Day is 27 June and as with last year there are plans for live streams of concerts and showcases celebrating pride.

A Short History of Pride: 

1972 - The first Pride festival, which celebrates the gay community and supports equal rights, took place in London on 1 July. 2,000 people took part. Now, more than one million people celebrate it in the UK's capital, and Pride events take place all over the world.

1988 - A law called Section 28 was introduced which meant that teachers were not allowed to 'promote' gay relationships in schools. Many people argued that this prevented teachers from talking about gay relationships. It wasn't until 2003 that this was overturned.

2000 - A law was changed which allowed gay, bisexual and transgender people to be in the armed forces.

2002 - A law was changed to allow same sex couples (and also unmarried couples) to adopt children.

2000 in Scotland and 2003 in England and Wales - The ban on 'promoting' homosexuality in schools (Section 28) was overturned.

2004 - This year marked the start of civil partnerships for same sex couples. This meant that they had similar rights to people who were married, but civil partnerships are not exactly the same as marriage. Some people did not think it was good enough and that gay people should be allowed to get married.

2008 - It became illegal to encourage homophobic hatred.

2013 - Gay marriage was made legal in England and Wales, and later in Scotland. In Northern Ireland, gay marriage became legal in 2019.

The music industry has many LGBTQ+ role models and allies, and acceptance in the arts is higher than ever. The most famous LGBTQ+ artists include Freddie Mercury, David Bowie, Tracy Chapman, Elton John, and George Michael.

Wherever and however you are celebrating, do it with pride!