By Justin HAGER

During the month of June, communities across the country celebrate LGBTQ+ pride month. “LGBTQ” stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer or questioning. The “+” symbol represents the many additional identities that make up the diverse community of people whose biological sex, perceived gender, gender identity, and relationships with other people fall outside the Victorian perception of the sex or gender binary. Examples of people in the “+” category include people who are pansexual, intersex (people born with reproductive or sexual anatomy that doesn’t clearly align with either the “male” or “female” binary; this is roughly 1.7% of the global population, or about as common as being born with red hair), two-spirit (an umbrella term used by indigenous North Americans to describe people who fulfill a third-gender or gender-variant ceremonial and social role in their cultures), and Hijra (a third gender legally recognized by the Hindu faith and the governments of Nepal, Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh who collectively represent 22% of the global population).

Pride is celebrated in June in recognition of the Stonewall Riot, which began on June 28, 1969 at the Stonewall Inn in New York City, and is often perceived as the “beginning” of the LGBTQ+ rights movement. However, celebrations of Pride and demonstrations for the rights of LGBTQ+ people did not start or end with Stonewall. In fact, almost two decades before Stonewall, in 1950, a national gay rights organization was founded in Los Angeles County. Nine years later, and still more than a decade before Stonewall, LAPD harassment of LGBTQ+ people led to a demonstration at the Cooper Do-Nuts Café in Downtown LA. Then, on Jan. 1, 1967, as balloons dropped to ring in the New Year, six men at Silver Lake’s Black Cat Tavern were arrested, charged and forced to register as sex offenders because they kissed at midnight.

The arrests sparked not only massive demonstrations, but also inspired the creation of the Advocate Magazine, now the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ news magazine.

Without question LGBTQ+ people existed and contributed to society prior to being formally recognized by society. Alexander the Great and Leonardo Da Vinci both engaged in numerous documented acts of lovemaking with other men. Alan Turing, the founder of modern computer science, famously cracked the Enigma Code and helped defeat Hitler in WWII before being arrested by his own government for the crime of homosexuality in 1952. And Bayard Rustin, the architect and lead organizer of the 1963 March on Washington, stayed behind-the-scenes at his own event after he, Dr. King, and other civil rights leaders determined that the movement would not survive having a gay man in a prominent public role.

More recently, LGBTQ+ leaders have become visible in almost every facet of society, from arts and entertainment leaders like Laverne Cox, Lily and Lana Wachowski and Ellen DeGeneres, to athletes like Sheryl Swoopes, John Amaechi and Esera Tuaolo, to military leaders like Brigadier General Tammy Smith and former Navy Seal Kristen Beck, to scientists and explorers like Lynn Conway and Sally Ride. LGBTQ+ people have repeatedly contributed to building prosperous communities.

Unfortunately, as Sally Ride demonstrated, there are likely many more LGBTQ+ people who never came out at all and still others, like Matthew Shepard, whose potential will never be known because their lives were cut short due to violence against homosexuals. Ride’s orientation didn’t “come out” until after her death when her 27-year relationship with another woman was finally revealed to the world. And Shepard, a 21-year old college student, was mistaken for a scarecrow after being beaten, tortured and left for dead outside Laramie, Wyoming.

Despite these and other tragedies, there have also been great successes. Here in the United States, LGBTQ+ identity has been decriminalized and opportunities, like marriage, can be enjoyed with LGBTQ+ people participating as equals in many different societal spaces and activities. Just this week, Las Vegas Raiders Defensive End Carl Nassib was the first openly gay player to come out while actively on an NFL roster. While Nassib’s decision is courageous and a reason for celebration, it is clouded by the fact that this week also saw a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court declaring that agencies contracted by the local governments for services such as adoption are not required to abide by those city’s non-discrimination laws unless explicitly required by the terms of the contract. This decision effectively gives private religious organizations the ability to use ministerial oversights as an excuse to ignore local laws while benefitting from taxpayer-funded service contracts and taxpayer-funded tax-exempt status. Hundreds of private religious colleges and universities also enjoy this tax-exempt status while continuing to have the right to expel students for not only identifying as LGBTQ+ but for simply offering words of support or encouragement for their LGBTQ+ friends or family members. Moreover, 29 U.S. states still do not have laws in place to fully protect LGBTQ+ people from discrimination, including discrimination in housing and public accommodations. This means that in 29 states, I as a gay man could be evicted from my apartment for writing this article. Collectively, these and other forms of discrimination are why, according to the Williams Institute at UCLA, LGBTQ+ suicide rates are more than 7 times higher than non-LGBTQ+ people and the poverty rate for LGBTQ+ people is double that of the general population.

There is still work to be done, which is why Pride celebrations remain so important. Pride provides an opportunity for LGBTQ+ people to not only celebrate the progress made thus far, but also to gather, organize and demonstrate the dedication and resolve to continuing the fight for equality, dignity and pride moving forward.

Happy Pride.