This Answer Shows How To Handle Those Queerphobes Who Want To Hate on Pride Month

by Anthony Venn-Brown in Society

Help me understand what a group of people need to achieve to qualify for a month-long acknowledgement of their particular cause/lifestyle/or choice, to deserve a month-long celebration or recognition. Does that mean we should advocate for a change [from] Anzac Day to Anzac Month? I’m just trying to understand what seems an imbalance. I guess I’m also asking why in America they don’t celebrate or acknowledge a “White Month” for the great achievements of progression, inventions and attributions of some of the greatest minds in history. I’m just trying to find some balance in all these events. — Steve

Hi Steve, I have wondered the same myself at times, along with why do lesbians get a week of visibility and gay men get nothing. Your question comes up every year.

A brief history might help with context.

The first Pride marches were held in June 1970 in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco to mark the first anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising in New York City. The initial disturbance was ignited because the police raided a bar in Greenwich Village that was popular among the gay community, the Stonewall Inn, on the morning of June 28, 1969.

What followed was not a single night but several days of protests, demonstrations and clashes that, even though there had been protests before, became a catalyst for the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement. It became our Rosa Parks moment.

Stonewall’s significance wasn’t because it was the first police raid on a gay bar; police raids were common. Stonewall became historic because after years of harassment, violence and discrimination, LGBTQ+ people fought back, and in significant numbers.

After 1970, the number of people  attending the commemorative “Liberation Day” parades grew, and similar events began in other parts of the world where the same issues were being faced: Criminalisation, discrimination and violence.

Australia’s first major Pride march, as part of a growing international Gay Solidarity Celebratory Day, didn’t occur until 1978. It’s now known as Australia’s first Mardi Gras. As in the U.S., there had been protests before.

Those initial marches were not so much celebrations as protests against laws that treated LGBTQ+ people as criminals. They were acts of defiance against ignorance, prejudice and discrimination. People marched at the risk of ending careers, losing jobs, being rejected by families, and being evicted.

After the first few years, the organisers realised that June wasn’t ideal in Sydney. It was cold, wet, and often difficult for large outdoor events. The event shifted into our summer in 1981. The move to summer dramatically increased attendance and public visibility.

While the date has changed, the event’s roots remain firmly connected to the June 1969 Stonewall uprising and the struggle for LGBTQ+ rights.

In Australia, we tended not to align ourselves with the northern hemisphere Pride events. When I came out in 1992, hardly anyone acknowledged Pride, but since then, it has become more popular.

But how did it go from a march to a month?

As the LGBTQ+ movement grew and laws changed, Pride events evolved from protest and defiance to celebration. Educational, entertainment, cultural and arts events began to be added that couldn’t be held on a single day or even contained to a week. June was first officially recognised in the United States as “Gay and Lesbian Pride Month” by President Bill Clinton in 1999. Many places now have a full month’s calendar of events, as we do in Sydney’s Mardi Gras season in February. This year the Sydney Mardi Gras festival had more than 80 individual events listed. Melbourne’s Midsumma Festival featured 220 events.

Having a month raises awareness. It’s also an encouragement to those still closeted and helps family and friends coming to terms with their loved ones’ newly revealed identities.

Steve, you question why we don’t have similar monthlong observances for things like Anzac, or the contributions of White people. I’m sure others could be added to that list. The thing to be considered is what the purpose of the day, week or month is.

A useful way to understand it is that commemorative events are usually created to recognise groups or issues that have been historically overlooked, marginalised or excluded from mainstream narratives.

For example:

  • Women’s History Month was created because women’s contributions were often omitted from history books and public recognition.
  • NAIDOC Week highlights the history, cultures and achievements of First Nations Australians.
  • Men’s Health Week focuses on specific health challenges affecting men.
  • RUOK? Day encourages conversations about mental health and suicide prevention.

There is no universal rule as to the length of an observance — whether a day, week or month. It’s usually the result of historical development, advocacy, community support, and government or organisational recognition. It’s not a ranking system that says one group is more important than another.

Recognition isn’t a finite resource

Double-clicking on your Anzac Month suggestion, I think most people would probably say no because Anzac Day already has a very specific purpose and tradition centered on a day of remembrance. Also, I’m sure you’ve been in an RSL club at 6pm before, when everyone stops talking and stands, the last post and the ode are played, and everyone responds, “We will remember them. Lest we forget” — 365 days a year. And so we should acknowledge those who served our country and the lives lost to war.

The reason there isn’t a “White History Month” is that the achievements of white people have been extensively centered throughout mainstream history, education, museums, public monuments and national celebrations.

History and awareness months are generally created to recognise groups whose contributions are often overlooked or excluded — not to diminish anyone else’s achievements. They’re additive, not reductive. They make us all better.

Steve, I sincerely hope this helps you. Oh, and Happy Pride Month!

P.S. It’s probably worth reiterating that being LGBTQ+ is so much more than a “lifestyle” or a choice. The only choice we have is to be ourselves.

Tagged with: ,