To commemorate the Stonewall riots which occurred in June 1969, the month of June is known as Pride Month. On 28 June 1969, police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay club in New York City. The raid sparked a riot among bar patrons and neighbourhood residents as police roughly hauled employees and patrons out of the bar, leading to six days of protests and violent clashes with law enforcement. The Stonewall Riots served as a catalyst for the gay rights movement around the world.
Pride Month is celebrated by festivals and parades in many cities around the world to recognise the struggles of the LGBT+ community in overcoming prejudice and to continue the fight for equality for everybody.
Andrew Landells, Co-chair of our University Pulse LGBT+ Staff Network says:
“Here at our University, we are delighted to be supporting Pride Month to commemorate the Stonewall riots. This year is particularly significant as it marks the 50th anniversary of that event. In these turbulent times, observing such milestones is more important than ever. I hope the whole of our University community will come together to take part in celebrating Pride Month 2019.”
We will raise the rainbow flag on Highfield Campus throughout June and the Pulse LGBT+ Staff Network will be organising activities on Friday 28 June to mark the anniversary. For details on the activities, be sure to follow the Network on Facebook and Twitter.
Our University is also a Stonewall Diversity Champion and is committed to LGBT+ inclusion in the workplace. More information about Stonewall and its fight for LGBT+ equality can be found here.
