The importance of Pride, told by Dean

Pride is a celebration of people coming together in love and friendship, to show how far LGBTQ+ rights have come, and how in some places there’s still work to be done.

Pride month is about acceptance, equality, celebrating the work of LGBTQ+ people, education in LGBTQ+ history and raising awareness of issues affecting the LGBTQ+ community.

It all started with a riot.

In the early hours of 28th July, 1969, police raided a gay bar in Greenwich Village, New York - the Stonewall Inn. Raids of this kind were not uncommon (there was about one a month), and police violence was a regular occurrence, but this time, the patrons had had enough. 

While there were various organisations already fighting for LGBTQ+ rights, it was the Stonewall riot that really kickstarted everything. A year later, to mark the anniversary of the riots, the first gay pride marches took place in four different American cities. 

Since the 70s, Pride has grown into a major event and spread across the world. They have gone from small events and marches to huge parades and parties.

What has it done?

Rights have changed massively for LGBTQ+ people in the UK since the end of the 60s. From the Sexual Offences Act 1967 decriminalising sex between two men over 21 and ‘in private’, to same-sex marriage being legalised in Northern Ireland in 2020, the world is a different place from when I first came out over 20 years ago. It’s a little brighter and much more colourful. 

Why do we still need pride?

This is a question I hear regularly, from all sorts of people. I can’t deny that things are much better now than they were when I started marching, but there is still a lot of progress to be made.

When I went to my first pride in 2001, schools were still banned from talking about LGBTQ+ people. 

Same sex partnerships were not legally recognised until 2004, when Civil Partnerships were made available, and same sex Marriage wasn’t legal in England until 2014 – just 8 years ago. I got married this year. It was the most amazing day of my life – partly because for most of my life, I didn’t think it would ever be possible. 

So that’s good.

But if things are much better, why do we still need pride? Is it just a big party now?

Pride is a celebration, sure. It’s a celebration that we made it through another year, that we are still here. It’s a reminder to everyone that we aren’t going anywhere. It’s a demonstration that it’s ok to be who you are, that there is support out there if you need it. It’s a sign to the world that we exist, we are normal, we are your siblings, your children and your parents, your friends and colleagues. It’s also a protest. It’s always been a protest. 

And we will still need it for many years to come.