End of June’s LGBT Pride Month
June 30, 2016
The Stonewall National Monument is dedicated in New York City on June 27, 2016.
Credit: U.S. Department of the Interior
Today, June 30, is the last day of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) Pride Month in the United States. U.S. President Barack Obama has proclaimed June to be LGBT Pride Month in every year of his presidency. In his final Pride Month proclamation on May 31, the president urged Americans to eliminate prejudice and celebrate diversity. Recalling last year’s landmark decision by the Supreme Court of the United States guaranteeing marriage equality in all 50 states, Obama said, “for every partnership that was not previously recognized under the law and for every American who was denied their basic civil rights, this monumental ruling instilled newfound hope, affirming the belief that we are all more free when we are treated as equals.”
On June 24, President Obama capped eight years of promoting LGBT rights by designating New York City’s landmark gay bar the Stonewall Inn as part of the Stonewall National Monument—the first National Park Service monument to honor the LGBT equality movement. The monument also includes Christopher Park, a historic community park at the intersection of Christopher Street, West 4th Street, and Grove Street across from the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village. The monument area was the site of a series of demonstrations for gay rights that took place in late June and early July 1969. The demonstrations followed a raid at the inn as police sought to enforce a law prohibiting the sale of alcoholic beverages to homosexuals. The demonstrations evolved into a series of riots that lasted, on and off, for several days. The anniversary of the Stonewall uprising is commemorated every summer as part of gay pride celebrations in the United States.
“Stonewall will be our first national monument to tell the story of the struggle for LGBT rights,” President Obama said. “I believe our national parks should reflect the full story of our country, the richness and diversity and uniquely American spirit that has always defined us. That we are stronger together. That out of many, we are one.”
Earlier this month, on June 12, the Stonewall was also the site of a gathering of LGBT people and their supporters who came to mourn the deaths of 49 people killed by a gunman at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida—the deadliest mass shooting in United States history. The White House, in its announcement about the Stonewall monument, referred to the Orlando shooting, stating, “Although the LGBT civil rights movement has made significant progress in the pursuit of equal rights and protections under the law, there is still more work to do. As seen two weeks ago in Orlando, Florida, LGBT Americans continue to face acts of violence, discrimination, and hate. LGBT people of color are especially at risk. The administration is committed to continuing the fight for dignity, acceptance and equal rights for all Americans—no matter who they are or who they love.”
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