In 1999, President Bill Clinton officially declared June as Gay and Lesbian Pride Month, setting aside the month as a time to recognize the LGBTQ community’s achievements and support the community. Pride Month had humble beginnings: It initially began as Gay Pride Day, observed annually on the last Sunday in June.Īs awareness increased, more activities and events were planned throughout the month and eventually, it evolved into the month-long observance, aptly named Pride Month. The Stonewall Inn was named a national monument by President Barack Obama in 2016. One year later, on the anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, thousands of people flooded the streets of Manhattan in the Christopher Street Gay Liberation Day March, regarded as the first gay pride event ever. The resulting clash led to days of riots and protests, known as the Stonewall Uprising. On June 28, 1969, patrons of the Stonewall Inn, a popular bar with a diverse LGBTQ clientele, stood their ground after police raided the establishment. New York, in particular, had a rule that the simple presence of someone gay or gender queer counted as disorderly conduct, effectively outlawing gay bars. In the late 1960s, being openly gay was largely prohibited in most places. Pride Month is observed in June to honor the anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, a touchstone event in LGBTQ history that laid the foundation for Pride. It is remembered today as being a turning-point in the movement for acceptance and equality. This is a fight that continues today, not only in the US but in so many other countries worldwide.New York City’s Stonewall Inn was the site of a six day protest in 1969 against police harassment and discrimination against the LGBTQ community. The date is symbolic of the 60th anniversary of American Astronomer and gay activist Frank Kameny’s US Supreme Court fight against workplace discrimination.
The change of date from July comes after the result of an open survey and months of discussion. To these statistics, we need to add barriers and issues specific to other underrepresented groups, which create a much bigger challenge for people with intersectional identities.
Gay and bisexual students are less likely to follow an academic career ( 2018 Coming out in STEM: Factors affecting retention of sexual minority STEM students). Half of the transgender or gender non-conforming physicists were harassed in their own departments ( 2015 American Physical Society survey). One in three physicists in America has been urged to stay in the closet to progress in their career. 2o% of trans people had often considered leaving ( 2019 Exploring The Workplace For LGBT+ Physical Scientists), which is an abysmally high number. November 18 has been selected to celebrate and highlight the work and barriers of LGBTQIA+ people in science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM).Īmong their many struggles, we see that 28% of LGBT+ people have at some point considered leaving their jobs because of a hostile workplace or discrimination towards them. November 18 is the International Day of LGBTQIA+ People in STEM