Why do we celebrate Pride?

The LGBTQIA+ community around the world celebrates Pride month in June of every year. A huge celebration of diversity and identity, Pride month is also a commemoration of the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan, which was an important event in the Gay Liberation Movement in the US. As it grew and spread across the globe, it also became a celebration to recognize the lives lost due to HIV/AIDS and gender-based violence and hate crimes, as well as a celebration of resistance to the daily and life-long struggles of the community.

Here’s a short video from Mashable on the History of Pride:

In the Philippines, Lesbian Collective joined the International Women’s Day March in 1992, and was the first time a demonstration was attended by a contingent from the LGBT community. In 1994, the first Pride march was held to both commemorate the Stonewall Riots but also to march against the imposition of Value Added Tax (VAT) in the Philippines. The Philippines then became the first country in Asia and the Pacific to hold a Pride-related event, cementing the roots of Pride as a protest in the country, where the community shows solidarity as well as participation in mainstream social issues.

Today, Pride month in the Philippines continues to be a celebration of diversity, of community, of identity. It also continues to be a protest, and an act of resistance to the many struggles and issues faced not just by the LGBTQIA+ community but by everyone, as they fight for equality, recognition, and justice.

Photo by Elyssa Fahndrich on Unsplash

In the next page, we will discuss some key policies and legislation that are related to SOGIE and the rights of women and the LGBTQIA+ community.