International LGBT+ Pride Day
On June 28, the International LGBT + Pride Day is celebrated. During the Pride, different marches and collective events are organized to make the fight for equality and dignity of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people visible. This day commemorates the riots that occurred in 1969 in Stonewall, in the Greenwich Village neighborhood, New York.
Known as the Stonewall Revolt, it was the start of a series of spontaneous protests. This day was marked as one of the first times in the history of that country in which the community of non-normative people fought against the oppressive system, acting as a catalyst for the movement for the rights of the LGTB + community in other countries. Following the Stonewall incident, gay residents of Greenwich Village created different activism groups to build safe spaces for the community. Thanks to their efforts and the foundation of collective rights organizations, on June 28, 1970, the first pride marches took place in cities like New York and Los Angeles. During the years that followed, other cities organized marches, making this day a day for the vindication of a sector of the population persecuted, criminalized and victim of homophobic violence, transphobia and biphobia
Sadly, the situation of the group has not gained ground in terms of human rights in all the territories. In fact, there are countries where sexual-affective orientation, gender identity or expression is not accepted as a fundamental right. It is institutionally criminalized in some countries, but in other countries also on a social level, showing a situation of injustice that should have been overcome a long time ago.
Given the situation that the group is suffering today in various parts of the world, different human rights organizations and observatories have monitoring tools and support in crises. Acts of hatred and discrimination towards LGBT + people continue to occur even in those countries with the most progressive laws. For this reason, this day is a day to celebrate the tireless fight that managed to consolidate the rights currently recognized in certain countries, but also to make visible and continue fighting for those LGBT + people still deprived of that recognition.
In the context of the crisis currently experienced by the Covid19 pandemic, and to safeguard the health of all, this year the celebration of Pride will take on a different nuance. There are already several organizations that are organizing online events. An example of this is the Organizing Committee of the LGBTI State Pride, made up of the State Federation of Lesbians, Gays, Trans and Bisexuals (FELGTB), COGAM, LGTB + Collective of Madrid and the Association of Companies and Professionals for the LGTBI collective of Madrid (AEGAL ) who are already preparing telematic activities for the occasion.