To honor the inclusive message behind LGBTQ+ Pride, we have incorporated the rainbow colors into H&C's logo. We offer this symbol during LGBTQ+ Pride Month to show our individual commitment to an inclusive and supportive environment for the LGBTQ+ members of our community.
LGBTQ+ Pride, the more inclusive name for what was traditionally referred to as Gay Pride Month, is currently celebrated each year in the month of June to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan. The Stonewall Uprising was a tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the United States, though Stonewall was pre-dated by the Cooper Do-nuts uprising in Los Angeles, the Gene Compton’s Cafeteria riot in San Francisco, and the Independence Hall protests in Philadelphia, each of which – in various ways – sought to secure equal civil protections for members of the LGBTQ+ community.
In the United States, the last Sunday in June was initially celebrated as "Gay Pride Day," but the actual day was flexible. In major cities across the nation, the "day" soon grew to encompass a month-long series of events. Today, celebrations include pride parades, picnics, parties, workshops, symposia and concerts, and LGBTQ+ Pride Month events attract millions of participants around the world. Memorials are held during this month for those members of the community who have been lost to hate crimes or HIV/AIDS. The purpose of the commemorative month is to recognize the impact that LGBTQ+ individuals have had on history locally, nationally, and internationally. Notably, the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decisions on marriage equality, United States v. Windsor and Obergefell v. Hodges were both decided on June 26 of 2013 and 2015.
The San Francisco Bay Area is also home to the oldest and largest regional LGBTQ+ bar association in the United States, Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom (BALiF), which is open to both members and supporters who are judges, lawyers, law students, and legal workers, as well as:
- Some of the oldest and most prominent organizations on LGBTQ+ legal issues, such as the Transgender Law Center (TLC) and the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR)
- Some of the oldest and largest advocacy organizations for people living with AIDS and HIV, such as the SF AIDS Foundation, the AIDS Legal Referral Panel, and the National AIDS Memorial
- The world’s first community foundation of, by, and for LGBTQ+ people, The Horizons Foundation, which includes a Professional Advisors’ Circle for financial planners, attorneys, tax preparers, insurance agents, and real estate agents who serve the LGBTQ+ community in the SF Bay Area
- The largest LGBTQ+ Pride Celebration and Parade in the country at San Francisco’s Civic Center Plaza on the last full weekend in June
The LGBTQ+ Bar Association, of which BALiF is a member organization, is a national association of judges, lawyers, law students, and affiliated lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender legal organizations, dedicated to promoting justice in and through the legal profession for the LGBTQ+ community in all its diversity. The LGBTQ+ Bar is open to all legal professionals and law students without regard to age, race, religion, gender, color, national origin, ancestry, disability, political affiliation, sexual orientation or gender identity. Learn more about the LGBTQ+ Bar and how to become a member or an ally here.
Resources & Bibliography:
ONE Archives at the USC Libraries
This post was brought to you by the H&C DE&I Committee.