OPINION: Importance of Pride

There are plenty of important holidays that happen in the month of June. This Friday is Flag Day, a holiday that commemorates the adoption of the American flag in 1777. Just two days later is Father’s Day.

Founded in Spokane Washington by the daughter of a single father and Civil War veteran, the holiday was first suggested after popularity for Mother’s Day began to arise. Though first introduced in 1910, Father’s Day only became a national holiday in 1966.

Just after Father’s Day comes one of the newest federal holidays: Juneteenth. This holiday commemorates the ending of slavery in the United States, the first day that all Americans were actually free. It was June 19, 1865, that the emancipation proclamation was enforced in the final location of Galveston, Texas.

And of course, who can forget the summer solstice and official beginning of summer. While it’s been hot for a while, summer officially begins June 20, also the longest day of the year.

But along with these holidays, June as a whole marks Pride month. First put in place by President Bill Clinton in 1999, Pride honors and celebrates the LGBTQ+ community and the victims of the Stonewall Riots.

The Stonewall Riots took place the morning of June 28, 1969, in New York City. NYC police raided the gay club Stonewall Inn. According to History.com, “The raid sparked a riot among bar patrons and neighborhood residents as police roughly hauled employees and patrons out of the bar, leading to six days of protests and violent clashes with law enforcement outside the bar. The Stonewall Riots served as a catalyst for the gay rights movement in the United States and around the world.”

In the last 55 years, a lot has changed for members of the LGBTQ+ community. The American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from its list of mental disorders in 1973. In 2003, the U.S. Supreme Court finally decriminalized same-sex sexual conduct. In 2011, the ban on openly queer people serving in the military ended.

Same-sex marriage was legalized in all 50 states in 2015. In 2017, a federal court ruled the Civil Rights Act prohibits workplace discrimination against LGBTQ+ employees. After much back-and-forth in rulings, in 2021, openly transgender Americans are allowed to join the military. In 2023, the FDA changed their recommendations for blood donations, meaning more gay and bisexual men can donate blood.

There’s a lot there, and much of it honestly surprises me that it took so long to happen. And yet, there are still so many issues and cases of discrimination against LGBTQ+ people in this country.

Without even looking at changes in laws and legislation, the FBI’s annual crime report has shown a large jump in anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes. There was a 13.8% increase based on sexual orientation and a 32.9% increase based on gender identity. In fact, according to the Human Rights Campaign, “more than 1 in 5 of any type of hate crime is now motivated by anti-LGBTQ+ bias.” In general, much of the hate towards the LGBTQ+ community has been focused on transgender people.

Looking at state legislation from around the country, here’s just a few from this year.

• In Alabama, a senate bill was passed that prevents public institutions like universities from sponsoring diversity programs or from requiring any diversity in coursework.
• In Idaho, it is against the law for teachers to call minors by anything other than their legal name and pronoun. Technically, this means no nicknames are allowed either.
• In Utah, transgender prisoners can only be placed with prisoners of their birth sex, even if they’ve already transitioned.

In fact, according to the ACLU, at least 49 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been passed into law so far this year. I’ve already written extensively about the variety of laws passed in Iowa.

So what can we do about it? While showing any support is good, there’s a lot more to do than just waving a rainbow flag. One big thing is voting and talking to your legislators. This November, a lot of important seats are up for grabs. In our area these are the seats that will be voted on in the election:

• U.S. House Iowa District 3 - held by Zach Nunn
• Iowa State Senate District 12 - held by Amy Sinclair
• Iowa House of Representatives District 17 - held by Devon Wood
• Iowa House of Representatives District 23 - held by Ray Sorensen
• U.S. President - held by Joe Biden

I’m not saying whether you should or shouldn’t vote for any of these people. However, look at who is running and their beliefs. With so many anti-LGBTQ+ policies and laws coming through, we need to be cognizant of who we’re putting in office.

Along with voting, make sure to listen to your queer friends and family. It is not their job to educate you, but it is your job to be there for them. Happy Pride, everyone.