It is LGBTQ pride month. This is what you need to know

(CNN) – June is Pride Month, when the world’s LGBT communities come together and celebrate the freedom to be themselves.

The gatherings around LGBT Pride are rooted in the arduous history of minority groups who have struggled for decades to overcome prejudice and be accepted for who they are.

The original organizers chose this month to pay tribute to the June 1969 Stonewall uprising in New York City, an event that helped fuel the modern movement to fight for gay rights. Most Pride events take place each year in June, although some cities hold their celebrations at other times of the year.

Most of the 2020 LGBT Pride events were canceled due to the pandemic. However, parades and other celebrations will return this month to New York, Paris and many other cities.

Who celebrates it?

LGBT Pride events are aimed at anyone who feels their sexual identity falls outside the mainstream, although many straight people join in as well.

LGBT is an acronym that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. The term is sometimes extended to LGBTQ, or even LGBTQIA, to include queer, intersex, and asexual groups. Queer is a generic term for non-heterosexual people; intersex refers to those whose sex is not clearly defined due to genetic, hormonal or biological differences; and asexual describes those who do not experience sexual attraction.

These terms can also include gender-fluid people, or those whose gender identity changes over time or depending on the situation.

How originated?

In the early hours of June 28, 1969, police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar located in New York’s Greenwich Village, and began driving customers abroad.

Tensions escalated rapidly as patrons resisted arrest and a growing crowd of passersby threw bottles and coins at officers. New York’s gay community, fed up with years of harassment by authorities, erupted in neighborhood riots that lasted for three days.

The uprising became a catalyst for an emerging movement fighting for gay rights when organizations such as the Gay Liberation Front and the Gay Activists Alliance were formed, modeled after the civil rights movement and the movement for homosexuals. Women rights. Members held protests, met with political leaders and disrupted public meetings to hold those leaders accountable. A year after the Stonewall riots, the country’s first Gay Pride marches were held.

In 2016, the area around the Stonewall Inn, which remains a popular nightspot, was designated a national monument.

Where does the name Pride (Pride, in English)?

Brenda Howard, a New York bisexual activist nicknamed the “Mother of Pride,” is credited with organizing the first-ever Pride parade to mark the first anniversary of the Stonewall uprising.

What is the origin of the rainbow flag?

In 1978, San Francisco City Supervisor Harvey Milk, one of America’s first openly gay elected officials, commissioned artist and designer Gilbert Baker to make a flag for upcoming Pride celebrations in the city. Baker, a prominent gay rights activist, winked at the stripes on the American flag, but was inspired by the rainbow to reflect the many groups within the gay community.

A subset of flags represents other sexualities on the spectrum, such as bisexual, pansexual, and asexual.

Can I participate in Pride events if I am not LGBT?

Yes. Pride events welcome allies from outside the LGBT community. They are opportunities to show support, observe, listen, and educate yourself.