He
and like a lot of people, I am ready to celebrate.
[background cheering, hoots]
But beyond the parties and rainbow flags,
what is the point of it all?
This is
From New York to Toronto to Tel Aviv,
people around the world celebrate LGBTQ+ identities
every year during Pride events,
but what exactly is pride?
Why did it start?
And why is it still important today?
♪ [light]
To better understand the history of Pride.
I spoke to several queer experts and activists.
But before we go to them, let's start with
the timeline of pride history.
♪ ♪
The modern Pride movement is usually linked back
to an event in 1969, often called the Stonewall Riots,
but also known as the Stonewall uprisings.
The six days of demonstrations and clashes
with police erupted after police raided a gay bar
called the "Stonewall Inn" in New York City.
Members of the LGBTQ+ community protested
years of discrimination and demanded the right to live
openly without having to hide their sexual orientation.
It really was a turning point in terms of how people thought
about themselves and saying like, why?
Why should we not be open?
Some people say that the
decriminalization of homosexuality in Canada,
which passed royal assent and became law only one day
before Stonewall, helped to inspire
the uprisings across the border in New York City.
A year later, in 1970, the first gay pride marriages
took place in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York,
and San Francisco to mark the anniversary
of the Stonewall raid.
Those marches became what are now known
as Pride Parades.
Throughout the seventies and into the eighties,
extreme police crackdowns on gay bars and LGBTQ+
meeting places sparked protests and calls
for gay rights.
Canada's first historic protest took place
on August 28th, 1971.
Nearly 100 people presented a petition
to the government with a list of ten demands for equal
rights and protections.
1973 marked the first grassroots Pride events
in several Canadian cities, including Vancouver,
Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Saskatoon, and Winnipeg.
1978 San Francisco Pride debuted the now iconic Rainbow Flag.
1981, Vancouver hosted Canada's first ever
city permitted Pride parade.
2005, same sex marriage is legalized across Canada.
Pride events reflected the moment by including
public weddings.
2016, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau raised the Pride flag
in front of Parliament Hill for the first time.
While Pride has become more normalized.
There are still people who oppose it.
Some anti LGBTQ+ groups have even held
counter-protests.
In addition, a counter movement
known as Street Pride has emerged.
In 2019, a Street Pride parade was held in Boston.
Pride is not saying that you aren't worthy
as a straight person,
it's saying we need to be acknowledged for who we are
and we're going to do it ourselves because society
hasn't done it for us.
Even people who are pro Pride
have their criticisms of the movement.
For example, many in the LGBTQ+ community feel that
mainstream pride has become too corporate.
Hi, Gay, happy Pride month.
We are sashaying away with deals--
But don't let their rainbow washing fool you.
Ameko:
of Pride today, with many companies
and organizations providing money to hold huge events.
Big marketing campaigns are rolled out in June
to show their solidarity with the queer community,
but LGBTQ+ organizers feel it's important to call out
corporations who want to sell rainbow merch
or market themselves as allies while not following through
on their promises.
There's a place for them,
but I think we have to be mindful that they are not
sort of dominating the conversation and that they also
recognize that for us, our issues and our experiences
should go beyond the month of June.
Another controversial issue at Pride is the presence of police.
Many in the LGBTQ+ community have called
for uniformed police to be excluded
from participating in Pride events.
In recent years, police groups and police fans
have marched in uniform alongside other LGBTQ+ groups
In 2016, Black Lives Matter Toronto staged
a sit down protest during the Toronto Pride Parade
to demand police be excluded from the event.
Of course, Stonewall happened
because of the police raiding the
which they did regularly about LGB bars back
in those days to harass and arrest patrons
who were cross-dressed.
So, like, if really were going to involve the police
as part of this, when this is what was the impetus and,
and we still have a great deal of police brutality
against LGBT folk.
Then there are concerns about diversity and inclusivity.
While the Pride movement has always included Black,
Indigenous people of colour, Trans folks, lesbians,
and bisexuals, for a long time,
Pride was dominated by white gay men.
Over the years, many people have tried to change that
by creating special events for people of all identities.
From Black led events like Blockorama to Trans marches,
minorities within the LGBTQ+ movement continue to fight
for recognition and inclusion
and for accessible Pride events.
Another aspect of inclusion at Pride has to do with
kids and families.
Some people have complained that the parades
aren't family friendly.
Usually when a parent is uncomfortable for their child,
they're really uncomfortable for themselves and they're
thinking it's uncomfortable for their child.
Queer culture doesn't need to be sanitized
to be made kid friendly.
Many large Pride weeks do include family oriented events,
and many kids and families participate every June.
I think that organizers
are trying to be real sensitive and helpful,
but at the same time, Pride is for the people
in our community, and so to tell people
in our community they can't celebrate
themselves in the way they want to celebrate
would be a disservice to them, because that's what Pride
is really about.
So why does Pride still matter today?
In LGBTQ+ circles, pride events are seen
as an important part of queer community building
and activism. For a lot of people,
Pride is a time to meet up with friends and celebrate
their own identity.
There's just so much that
we still have to do that people can live their lives
free from discrimination and harassment that
we need to do more than party.
And I think in some ways Pride has lost its way
in that way, that they're not challenging the system,
they've really become a part of this system.
♪ ♪
In some parts of the world,
it is still illegal to be gay or Trans and Pride
Demonstrations are broken up violently by police.
Across the United States,
laws have been proposed and put in place that
threaten gay and Trans rights.
One of the most recent controversial laws
is known as the "Don't Say Gay" bill in Florida.
It prevents elementary school teachers from discussing
gender identity or sexual orientation
with students younger than grade four.
I think the work of Pride and the significance
of Pride should be spread across
the 365 days of the year.
It's about recognizing that all letters across that acronym,
the LGBTQ2S+, you know, that,
Pride is the thing that brings us together.
That's it for
For CBC Kids News I'm Ameko Eks Mass Carroll.
♪ ♪
To make this video explainer,
our team used expert interviews and various
sources of research.
Thank you to Courtney McFarlane, Genny Beemyn,
Rob Sanders, and Mel Woods for sharing
their expertise and personal stories.
Research sources include...
The ArQuives, Xtra Magazine,
Pride Toronto,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
National Geographic,
The Library of Congress.
♪ ♪