Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Pride Month, is celebrated each year in June to honor the Stonewall Rebellion of 1969 in Manhattan. Stonewall Uprising was a violent response given by members of the gay community to police raids. It was the first noticeable initiative taken by the members of the Gay Liberation Movement in the US.
To honor the same, the last Sunday of June was celebrated as ‘Gay Pride Day’. However, with time, the ‘day’ soon grew into a month-long series of celebrations and events. Today, LGBTQ Pride Month celebrations include parades, picnics, parties, concerts, workshops, symposia, etc.
Even the shopping malls and eCommerce stores show their support by offering great discounts on products like fashion accessories and sex toys for gays. The entire purpose of the celebratory month is to identify and respect the impact and contributions of the gay community towards society. Besides, there are truly many things for which we must thank the Gay Community.
Contribution of the gay community to the society
All of us know that throughout the 20th Century, the cultural influence of the gay and lesbian community has been substantial. However, do you exactly know just how much the gay community has contributed? Well, here are the top 7 things for which we must thank them.
- Linguistic inventions
A cant language, Polari, was spoken in the 1960s by actors, sailors, prostitutes, and the gay community in the 1960s. The language never developed proper grammatical rules, but with the growth of gender equality, some slang terms became popular amongst millennial.
- Gay revolution
Sex was already prevalent in the gay community way before the gay movement began. However, the idea of having sex for pleasure and not merely for breeding was something new in productivity based society of the 1970s. This idea gave birth to a whole new philosophy of pleasure and freedom.
- Different forms of social activism
The gay community didn’t get their freedom and equality overnight. They fought for it for long. While they weren’t the only ones struggling, their achievement inspired other groups of social activists.
- Erotic Pulp Art
When the gay community was fighting for their sexual freedom, art went through major changes. Gay editors seized this opportunity and published the very first gay pulp novels. Later, artists like Andy Warhol and Keith Haring came up with contemplating forms of art that involved nudity as well as homosexuality.
- Dance and Music
There is no doubt about the fact that disco emerged from the 1970s gay nightlight. Gay dancers and Queer DJ sets were the first ones in New York to launch disco parties.
- Fashion
The strong connection between the gay community and fashion isn’t new for the world. A few years ago, the crossdressers from the gay community motivated the designers to come up with new ideas. Also, to make them recognizable, gay men wore dresses and accessories to differentiate themselves.
- The Freedom Flag
The freedom flag or the LGBT flag has changed a lot since the first Gilbert Baker’s Design. The original flag has 8 colors, each symbolizing something different.
- Pink – sexuality
- Red – life
- Orange – healing
- Yellow – sunlight
- Green – nature
- Turquoise – art
- indigo – serenity
- Violet – spirit
Today, the six colors of freedom flag symbolize sexual freedom and peace.
Well, you can see how the gay and lesbian community has benefited the world and how they have always been a part of the society we lived in. To conclude it can be said that they are and always will be a very important part of our history and culture.