As we continue to commemorate the month of June as the Pride month, let’s all celebrate our colorful lives but let us not forget the lessons and challenges that thePride month has given us.
Looking back in the LGBT history, Pride month started as a yearly protest of the LGBT community in remembrance of those more than 2,000 LGBTs and allies who – for the first time – fought back when the police violently raided the Stonewall Inn on June 1969 – known as the Stonewall Riot. This also marked the birth of the Gay Liberation Front (GLF) that initiated the yearly protests that called for public respect for the LGBTs, and to put a stop on the anti-gay laws and violence against LGBT people mainly done by the police.
Our struggles started way before the Stonewall Riot, but what happened that night marked a new LGBT movement and upped our struggle to a whole new level. From simply calling out for recognition, we have shown everyone that our struggle is a political struggle. We also have proven that we can unite in fighting for our interests and our rights.
This is the true essence of the commemoration of Pride month, remembering our bravery and our determination to win the struggle of our whole community. And, this is also the time for us to strengthen our unity with all the oppressed people for us to break free.
More than a celebration, let us make the Pride month a symbol of our continuous struggle for equality, acceptance, and freedom. We must not let the lessons of the past be forgotten by our next generations of LGBT. We should take pride in saying that amidst our diversity, we are united in fighting for our rights and the validity of our existence. And that once again, like what Willem Arondeus, we will tell the world that “homosexuals are not cowards”.
