a>Now on to the meat & potatoes because we all know I could spend hours venting about this one.
June is nearly upon us. What's so special about June you ask? Well, it's when us queer folk start the uprisin' whilst raising a little Cain.
A little queer history...
So what is this Pride you speak of? Funny you should ask because I'm fixin' to tell you. This year will mark the 38th year of the GLBT (gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender) Pride celebration. Somewhere in the haze of 1969, an incident occurred that triggered this marvelous, annual event. This event is better known as the Stonewall Uprising or riots. In the 60s, the Stonewall Inn was a happening gay establishment located in Greenwich Village - NYC. Members of the gay community often flocked to these predominantly gay establishments because it was the one public place where queers could come together, embrace their gayness, and feel as though they truly belong. However, law enforcement and other power hungry pigf*ckers often raided these prominent gay establishments. This was not an isolated event as gay bar/club raids were occurring everywhere throughout the United States. The patrons were often arrested unless they managed to escape. The police also went on to publish the names of those who were arrested because they apparently felt it was their duty to publicly out these kind folks.
Anyways, one evening (June 27th, 1969) at the Stonewall Inn the pigf*ckers attempted to pull the same bullshit. However, the patrons of the bar took a stand and fought back and POOF so began the celebration of Gay Pride all throughout the land. Isn't it grand?
Symbolism
The Rainbow flag was originally masterminded by a fellow by the name of Gilbert Baker. Here is picture of ol' Gilbert.
He crafted the flag for his dear friend, one Mr. Harvey Milk. Do y'all know about Harvey Milk? If you don't, then I suggest doing some research. Here's a quick run down about Mr. Milk. He was an advocate of gay visibility and acceptance in the disco-infested 1970s. Harvey became the first openly gay person to hold office when he was elected to the San Francisco board of supervisors in 1977. Unfortunately, a conservative pig f*cker by the name of Daniel White shot both Harvey and the mayor (at the time) of Frisco, George Moscone, killing them both.
Back to thy rainbow flag...the flag first appeared at the San Francisco Gay and Lesbian Freedom Day Parade in the late 70s. The original flag consisted of eight, multi-colored strips. Each color or strip represents a particular meaning or message. The two that were later dropped, pink and turquoise, represented sexuality (pink) and magic (turquoise).
Red = Life
Orange = Healing
Yellow = Sunlight
Green = Nature
Indigo = Serenity
Violet = Spirit
Rainbow flags are now visible in all sizes, shapes, and formats and are widespread throughout the entire world. There has also been several variations, which include the bear and bisexual flag. The pink triangle is another relatively renowned symbol amongst the gay community. The pink triangle is perhaps the most historic and dates back to the World War II era. It was used by the Nazi regime to identify homosexuals similar to how the yellow Star of David patch was used to identify the Jews. Last but not least, we have the lovely Lambda symbol. It is a symbol of kinetic energy and represents the energy of the gay/lesbian movement. Both are displayed below for your viewing pleasure.
So there you have it....gay history in a nutshell.
Hey....where did she come from? We shall refer to her as the 'other' woman. Moving right along...
The annual St. Louis Pridefest will commence on June 28th. The Pet Parade and commitment ceremony will commence on June 28th. The Grandmaster Flash of all parades will take place on Sunday, June 29th starting at noon. Get your hungover asses up and out to Tower Grove Park.
Gay Day at Six Flags will be held on Sunday, June 8th. For more information about Pridefest St. Louis, please click on the link below.
Pridefest St. Louis
EMBRACE YOUR GAYNESS AND JOIN US AT THE PARK AS WE CELEBRATE DIVERSITY
IT'S OUR MONTH TO PARTY!
HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY PRIDE!
Many thanks to the following resources:
About.com
The Pink Triangle Organization
Indiana University
Brookens Library Online @ the University of Illinois - Springfield
PlanetOut
LAMBDA.org
The many wonderful volunteers, sponsors, and organizers of Pridefest St. Louis
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