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June is Pride Month, when cities across the US show support for LGBT+ rights, culture, and communities.
It’s a tradition that goes back to the early 1970s, when cities began hosting events to commemorate the Stonewall Riots and highlight issues that LGBT+ Americans still face.
Here’s what Pride Month is all about.
What is Pride Month, and how are cities celebrating it?
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Pride is a monthlong LGBT+ celebration, protest, and act of political activism in the US. Nearly every city has some sort of big event — usually a large parade with plenty of rainbow iconography, glitter, and floats driven by local companies and organizations.
Several cities have already kicked off the month with Pride parades and LGBT-centered events, ranging from protests and dance parties to poetry readings and drag shows.
Why do Americans celebrate Pride, and when did it all start?
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The history of Pride — as well as the larger LGBT rights movement — dates back to the late 1960s at the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in Manhattan. The venue was known as the rare spot where same-sex patrons could dance with each other without the fear of harassment.
At the time, it was fairly common for police to raid gay bars and nightclubs, especially in big cities like New York City and Los Angeles. Sometimes these raids would result in violence on behalf of the officers.
In the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, the police raided Stonewall, but this time, the patrons fought back. Marsha P. Johnson, a black trans woman celebrating her 25th birthday at the time, is credited with starting the uprising.
The Stonewall Riots, consisting of thousands of people, lasted for the next six days.
Does Stonewall still exist today?
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The Stonewall Inn — a two-story establishment on Manhattan’s West Side — still operates today as a gay bar and entertainment revenue. Throughout the week, it hosts dance parties and drag shows.
In 2015, the City of New York designated Stonewall as a historic landmark. A year later, President Obama named it a national monument.
“The Stonewall Inn is a rarity — a tipping point in history where we know, with absolute clarity, that everything changed,” Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer said in a statement to BuzzFeed in 2015.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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