COURTESY OF METRO CREATIVE
Each June, pride celebrations serve to recognize and highlight the contributions of people who identify as LGBTQ+ and shed light on issues currently facing the community.
Pride events have taken place in some shape or form since the LGBTQ+ liberation movement occurred in the 1970s. Modern day pride celebrations can be traced back to New York City and an event called the Stonewall Uprising.
In the mid-1960s, the Stonewall Inn was a popular gay bar, and one of the few establishments that welcomed drag queens and allowed dancing. Homeless gay runaways often took refuge there each night. Police raids frequently took place at gay establishments during this period in time. On June 28, 1969, the police arrived at Stonewall and reportedly assaulted customers and arrested 13 employees and patrons who were in violation of liquor laws. They also took into custody individuals who were not conforming to a New York statute requiring gender-appropriate clothing be worn in public.
The Stonewall Riot incident gave rise to protests elsewhere, and became a unifying incident upon which equality-based advocacy for these groups was built. Pride Month emerged as a way to achieve equal justice and opportunity for LGBTQ+ individuals.
In Bangor, the murder of Charlie Howard, a 23-year-old gay man who was chased down and thrown over the State Street Bridge into the Kenduskeag Stream, spurred a local movement that began the Maine Lesbian/Gay Political Alliance, which later became EqualityMaine. A memorial now stands along the Kenduskeag Stream honoring the memory of Charlie Howard, and EqualityMaine is now the oldest and largest statewide organization dedicated to creating a fair and just society for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer Mainers.
In 2000, President Bill Clinton officially declared June as Gay and Lesbian Pride Month. President Barack Obama expanded the observance in 2011 to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month. Informally, June is referred to simply as Pride Month.
The rainbow flag, which is now the unifying symbol of the LGBTQ+ community, first appeared in the 1970s. Harvey Milk, an openly gay San Francisco politician and activist, tasked artist Gilbert Baker to come up with a unifying symbol for the gay community, and the rainbow flag was born. Bangor has a long tradition of flying a giant rainbow flag downtown during the month of June — see the story on page 5.
In addition, cities and towns throughout Maine and across the country offer various pride events this month, including street fairs, art exhibits, and town-wide decorations that feature the rainbow flag prominently. Check out page 6 for a list of just a few of the celebrations planned around our state.
On Sunday, June 8 at 6 p.m., Bangor Pride is hosting a Candlelight Vigil For Charlie Howard at the memorial by the state street bridge.