What is Gay Pride?
pride (noun) 1. consciousness of one’s own dignity.
Gay Pride, now known as LGBTQ+ Pride, is a term coined to reflect the right of every gay, lesbian, transgender, queer, etc. to have dignity in their self identity and to live their whole lives without fear of harm. Over the years additional letters have been added to this list to capture the complexity of human sexual and gender identity. The + sign is often used to reflect the endless list.
It is said that the U.S. Pride movement began after a police raid on the gay bar Stonewall Inn (Greenwich Village, NYC) on Saturday, June 28, 1969, after which the LGBTQ people rioted in protest. Although other protests had occurred prior to that incident, this appears to be the one that galvanized the community. The first Pride protests and parade occurred the following year in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, and San Francisco around the first anniversary of Stonewall.