The Origins of Pride
Posted on: June 9, 2022
More than just rainbows
Every June, people around the globe join in celebrating the LGBTQ+ community in all their glorious diversity. Many festivals, commemorations, and jubilations occur throughout the month, with Pride Day on the 30th.
As we head into Pride Month, we'll see brands and organizations sporting rainbow colors in a show of solidarity. Although a lovely gesture, over the years, many have felt that brands seemingly supportive logo edits are mere vanity marketing without any gravitas or substance. In addition, a lack of inclusion and exposed workplace bullying has shown that some organizations aren't always practicing what they outwardly preach. Sadly, the commercial way of celebrating Pride has occasionally distorted the true meaning behind why Pride Month exists.
Born out of revolution
The origins of Pride were born out of revolution. A fight for liberation spotlighted police brutality toward the LGBTQ+ community in the United States.
On June 30, 1969, in Manhattan, NY, prominent LGBTQ+ activists like Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia River, and Miss Majorwere (all transgender women of color) launched a counter-attack against their enduring oppression. And were at the center of what many call today 'The Stonewall Riots.'
A need for more LGBTQ education
But how many of us really know about the dark and less colorful aspects of the celebration that we call Pride? Inclusion in the curriculum on LGBTQ+ communities and their role in history is scarce. Therefore, many are unaware that police brutality, gender discrimination, and racism were at the heart of the Pride movement. Of course, Pride is a beautiful month where we get to embrace everyone for their genuine authenticity and self-expression. Yet we shouldn't go on thinking that the LGBTQ+ community is all rainbows and glitter.
If you want to learn more about the atrocities leading up to Stonewall, check out Vern L Bullough's book Before Stonewall.
LGBTQ+ Books
This year has been an incredible year for LGBTQ books. So many award-winning authors have written fantastic Pride Books to help inform, engage and educate us on the social and political impact that the LGBTQ community has on the world. Other recommended titles from Routledge include Lucie Fielding with Trans Sex, winner of the 2022 AASECT Book for Sexuality Professionals and nominated for the LAMBDA awards this June. Another notable read is Queering Your Therapy Practice by Julie Tilsen, who won the 2022 AASECT Book for General Audience.
LGBTQ Culture, The Changing Landscape explores how LGBTQ+ culture is changing and whether, like many assimilated subcultures before it, it may be in fact endangered. This book examines these seismic changes, their sociological and cultural implications, reminisces about what has been lost and gained, and hints at what the future may hold for LGBTQ+ people.
If you want to better understand how social media and digital technologies have impacted the sphere of LGBTQ activism, advocacy, education, empowerment, identity, protest, and self-expression, take a look at LGBTQ Digital Cultures: A Global Perspective.
Check out Gender and Sexualities in Psychology for a book series with an inclusive approach to the discipline of psychology and a recognition of the diversity in research on genders and sexualities – including critical, feminist, queer, trans, social, and intersectional perspectives.
Essential reading for students and researchers in religious and gender studies, The Routledge Handbook of Religion, Gender and Society considers how religiosity is of continuing significance, not only in people’s private lives and in the family, but also in the public sphere including: activism, gender analysis, intersectionality and feminism, oppression and liberation, to name a few.
LGBTQ Voices in Education: Changing the Culture of Schooling, addresses the ways in which teachers can meet the needs of LGBTQ students and improve the culture surrounding gender, sexuality, and identity issues in formal learning environments. This innovative book is applicable beyond the classroom.
Ryan Murphy's Queer America, is a collection making the case for television producer Murphy’s version of a queer sensibility, and the contributions his own production company makes to a politics of LGBTQ+ representation and evolving gender identities.
Taylor & Francis Celebrate Pride Month
Taylor & Francis is sponsoring the Oxford Pride Celebration for their second year! We are showing our support this Pride and celebrating with various initiatives.
We are proud to announce that we will be the official sponsors for the second year of the Oxford Pride Festival. We will also be giving access to numerous LGBTQ+ research studies, which we've made available for free until Dec 31, 2022. In addition, we've decided to help support institutions and academics to bolster their gender studies and LGBTQ+ content collection by offering 20% off our gender studies collection for Pride Month.
We want to show that we are engaged with the pride movement. Using visuals through logo changes, colorful imagery, and campaigns is an effective way of showing support. First, however, the purpose of the commemorative month must be acknowledged in its entirety. We must also pay homage to how lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals have shaped history. Unfortunately, many LGBTQ+ individuals have lost their lives because of discriminatory systems. The aids pandemic in the 80s and the lack of support available to the LGBTQ+ community are unfortunate examples.
Routledge is committed to publishing books that address all of the crucial topics in our world. Check out even more of our Pride books here.
Take a look at this video interview with some of our authors, who have contributed to the latest journals research in the LGBTQ+ field: