Dear
John,

Today, we close out Pride Month and remember the historic Stonewall Riots that were a catalyst for the gay rights movement in the United States and around the world.

We invite you to take a moment to reflect on the countless courageous activists who came before us and those who are fighting the good fight today.

And while there's so much upsetting news each day, we also want to take a moment to celebrate three recent Supreme Court rulings that protect abortion access, that reject Trump's attempt to end protections for DACA recipients, and that protect gay, lesbian, and transgender employees from discrimination based on sex.

Finally, if you haven't read it yet, please check out a moving blog series by our own Paula Molina Acosta and Serena Zets. Their first co-written piece connects historical Black LGBTQ+ organizing to our nation's current racial reckoning and Pride Month.

Thank you!

-- The team at the National Partnership

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Back to Our Roots: Pride, Protest, and Black History
By Paula Molina Acosta and Serena Zets

This year's Pride Month comes at a time of national and global unrest.

In April and May, Pride parades, festivals and other celebrations nationwide set for June were cancelled due to COVID-19 social distancing measures. Although parades, festivals and celebrations would not be possible, many assumed that other usual markers of Pride -- colorful clothing collections, glittering #LoveIsLove Instagram posts and month-long rainbow advertising -- would continue as they usually do each year.

Instead, the first weeks of Pride Month have been dominated by news and social media buzz surrounding the nationwide Black Lives Matter protests.

Instead of celebrating the fifth anniversary of same-sex marriage equality in the United States, the country has been preoccupied with discussions about white supremacy, police brutality, and the history of racial inequity in America.

Many people, straight and LGBTQ alike, have lamented the cancellation of Pride celebrations, even as they support ongoing protests and dialogues.

But as we scroll through the news, watching Black Lives Matter protests erupt in all fifty states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia, we have to realize that Pride Month is not cancelled at all. In fact, the opposite is true. These events provide us with our greatest LGBTQ opportunity yet: a return to our roots.

There is nothing more true to the legacy of Pride than the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests against police brutality. Protest has long been the successful strategy of the unheard, especially for LGBTQ people.

Read more:
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