Live and Read with Pride

Thursday, June 16, 2022 – Chely Munoz 

.

There’s far too much to say about Pride Month: The history formed by the LGBT community way before me, the controversy that has clung to it ever since, and the current commercialization by corporations seeking a quick buck selling rainbow merchandise. But if you claw down to its beating heart, down to the best parts, you’ll see that it’s a way to let everyone on the LGBT spectrum know they are not alone. For generations, voices have yelled and feet have marched for their rights. Year after year in June, the community rallies together — and change happens.  In June 2003, the Supreme Court ruled same-sex relations a right legally protected by the 14th Amendment. The Supreme Court declared that states must validate same-sex marriages two years later. In June 2016, the Secretary of Defense lifted the ban on transgender troops openly serving in the army. And not too long ago, in June 2020, the Supreme Court ruled that a person couldn’t be discriminated against by their sexual orientation or gender identity when seeking employment.

These milestones wouldn’t have happened without Pride. So while outside eyes may see every riot and parade as an excuse to pile on rainbow paint and yell in a parking lot, it encompasses so much more. It’s about the community and declaring that we deserve rights, deserve to feel safe in our own country, and deserve to feel unashamed for who we are. So this June, like the gays of yesteryear, be brazen, have pride, and get things done.

A selection of LGBT+ works to celebrate the month:

Title	Call #:	Location
Fine: A Comic About Gender	EWI	River Collection Biography
Burn the Page	ROE	River Collection Biography
Southern Discomfort	CLA	Biography
As a Woman: What I Learned About Power, Sex, and the Patriarchy After I Transitioned	WIL	Biography
A Wild and Precious Life: A Memoir	WIN	Biography
When Brooklyn Was Queer	306.76 RYA	Nonfiction