June across the world is celebrated as Pride Month. Rainbow flags, floats and cheers of LGBTQ+ people of all cultures come out, of the closet and on to the streets to show the world that they are here!
But where does the idea of June as the Pride Month even come from?
The gay rights movement that catapulted it to global focus was in June 1969 when police raided the Stonewall Inn in NYC. The incident at Stonewall, a popular gathering space for LGBTQ+ community, became emblematic of the pride marches.
Speaking of emblems, the rainbow flag is synonymous with Pride. It was created by artist Gilbert Baker at the request of Harvey Milk, one of the first openly gay elected officials in the U.S., to create a symbol of pride for the gay community. Baker saw the rainbow as a natural flag from the sky, so he adopted eight colours for the stripes, each colour with its own meaning:
Red for life
Orange for healing
Yellow for sunlight
Green for nature
Indigo for harmony
Violet for spirit