LGBTQIA+ Pride Month

Pride Month is an annual celebration of the LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, and all other identities) community and their supporters that takes place in June each year. Pride Month is not only a time of celebration and reminder of progress made by the LGBTQIA+ community. It is also a time to remember the history and struggles for equal rights, and it recognizes the issues and challenges still being faced.

"During Pride Month, we celebrate the extraordinary courage and contributions of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex (LGBTQI+) community. We reflect on the progress we have made so far in pursuit of equality, justice, and inclusion. We recommit ourselves to do more to support LGBTQI+ rights at home and around the world.”

June was chosen as Pride Month to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall Uprising. "While the events of Stonewall are often referred to as "riots," Stonewall veterans have explicitly stated that they prefer the term Stonewall uprising or rebellion". Triggered by a police raid on the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in Greenwich Village, New York City, the Stonewall Uprising was a series of demonstrations by members of the LGBTQIA+ community that took place from June 28th to July 3rd. These uprisings are recognized as bringing about a shift in communication surrounding LGBTQIA+ activism in the United States. For more details about the significance and history of the Stonewall Uprising, check out the Library of Congress's article "Stonewall Uprising of 1969".

Christopher Park, a historic community park located immediately across the street from the Stonewall Inn in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City, is a place for the LGBTQIA+ community to assemble for marches and parades, expressions of grief, and celebrations of victory. It played a key role in the events of the Stonewall Uprising and has served as an important site for the LGBTQIA+ community both before and after those events. During these days of uprising and because of its strategic location across from the bar, Christopher Park served as a gathering place, refuge, and platform for the community to voice its demand for LGBTQIA+ civil rights.

The Stonewall Uprising is considered by many to be the watershed moment that launched the modern LGBTQIA+ civil rights movement. After the Stonewall Uprising, the nation started the march toward securing equality and respect for LGBTQIA+ people. On June 24, 2016, Proclamation 9465 established Stonewall Inn, Christopher Park, and portions of the surrounding neighborhood as a National Historic Landmark, and on June 27, 2016, hundreds gathered to celebrate the designation of that monument. Search GovInfo for more documents on the Stonewall Uprising.

The White House is lit with the colors of the rainbow in celebration of the Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage, 6/26/2015. (National Archives Identifier 118817917)

Related Legislation and Documents

• President Biden's 2024 Proclamation on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex Pride Month
• Executive Order 14091-Further Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government, Administration of Joseph R. Biden, Jr., 2023
• 18 U.S.C. ch. 13 § 249 et seq (Civil Rights Hate Crime Acts, see page 8)
• Respect for Marriage Act, 2022
• Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Barack Obama (2015, Book I) Remarks on the United States Supreme Court Ruling on Same-Sex Marriage, June 26, 2015
• Mathew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, 2009 (National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2010, see page 647)
• Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010
• Search GovInfo for remarks on Pride Month in the Congressional Record.

Additional Article Sources and Resources

• Read the 2021 Memorandum on Advancing the Human Rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex Persons Around the World on the White House's website. This memorandum builds upon that historic legacy and updates the 2011 memorandum's International Initiatives.
• Learn more about the History of Pride and find out about some of the pre-Stonewall uprisings against harassment of the LGBTQIA+ communities in the U.S. on the Library of Congress' webpages.
• Search the Catalog of U.S. Government Publication (CGP) for more related publications. The CGP is a bibliographic search tool for print and electronic titles of the National Bibliography of U.S. Government Publications. The National Bibliography is made up of publications from across the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of the U.S. Government.
• Watch the National Park Service's (NPS) video series "The history of Stonewall and its establishment as a National Monument" and find out about their commemorations and celebrations this month.
• Learn about Federal Judges who paved the way for others in the judiciary on the U.S. Courts' website.
• Explore the Library of Congress's webpage "LGBTQ+ Legal Resources: A Beginner’s Guide" which is intended to simplify this research process, and provide some helpful resources for those interested in the law surrounding gender identity and sexual orientation.
• Take a look at the NPS Release dated 2/8/24 where they announced $1,250,000 to 21 projects in 19 states and the District of Columbia for the survey and nomination of sites and districts associated with communities that are underrepresented in the National Register of Historic Places. Grants include the survey and development of an LGBTQIA2S+ Historic Context in the Puget Sound, and the National Register of Historic Places nomination of an outstanding representation of queer history in Washington State.