Key insights:
When the Covid-19 pandemic began, most LGBTQ celebrations were canceled. But with protests across the world this week drawing attention to police brutality and the systemic racism facing the Black community, many of the organizations behind Pride festivals are re-engaging their plans and pivoting to join the protest movement.
“Pride has always been a protest, and over time has become a celebration as well,” said David Correa, interim executive director at Heritage of Pride, the nonprofit that organizes each year’s massive NYC Pride celebration as well as ongoing community events and fundraising efforts throughout the year.
New York’s Pride march started officially in 1970 as Christopher Street Liberation Day, a protest march that commemorated the one-year anniversary of the riots at the Stonewall Inn. Throughout the 1960s, police regularly harassed and raided gay bars—arresting trans women and butch lesbians, among others, for the “crime” of wearing clothes designated for the opposite gender.
The night of the Stonewall uprising, the West Village LGBTQ community had finally had enough. They fought back, throwing bricks and other objects at police, and the riot spilled over into several days of standoffs between the police and queer and trans New Yorkers.
Each year since, LGBTQ Pride falls on the day of the Stonewall uprising, June 28. But over the course of 50-odd years, the event has evolved from an anti-police riot into a massive public celebration, with corporate brand sponsorship totaling millions of dollars. Until Covid-19. Read more via Adweek