The rainbow flag itself was first adopted in 1978 as an eight horizontal stripe rainbow colored flag. In 1999, Pride Month gained official national recognition by President Bill Clinton who declared June to be “Gay & Lesbian Pride Month.”
LGBTQ+ Pride Month has become an annual occurrence each June commemorating the violent events at the Stonewall Inn. By the 1980s and 1990s, the tenor for many of these events had shifted from protests to celebrations of pride and acceptance. Shortly after the Stonewall Riots in June 1969, pride marches and demonstrations were being organized in cities throughout the United States.
Let’s explore the history of LGBT Pride Month and the meaning behind the LGBTQ+ Pride Flag - and its many iterations. Most of us know these flags are representative of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer pride, and that June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month, but how many of us know what those flags represent - and why there seems to be so many variations. Every June, whether it’s on television or social media, whether you’re walking down the street or visiting your favorite establishment, rainbow flags can be seen everywhere.
