June is Pride Month!
Check back throughout the month for more facts and information.
Terms and Facts
- LGBTQ+ | An acronym for “lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer” with a “+” sign to recognize the limitless sexual orientations and gender identities used by members of this community.
- Gay | A person who is emotionally, romantically or sexually attracted to members of the same gender. Men, women and non-binary people may use this term to describe themselves.
- Non-binary | An adjective describing a person who does not identify exclusively as a man or a woman. Non-binary people may identify as being both a man and a woman, somewhere in between, or as falling completely outside these categories. While many also identify as transgender, not all non-binary people do. Non-binary can also be used as an umbrella term encompassing identities such as agender, bigender, genderqueer or gender-fluid.
- Gender expression | External appearance of one’s gender identity, usually expressed through behavior, clothing, body characteristics or voice, and which may or may not conform to socially defined behaviors and characteristics typically associated with being either masculine or feminine.
- Coming Out | The process in which a person first acknowledges, accepts and appreciates their sexual orientation or gender identity and begins to share that with others.
Terms are from Human Rights Campaign Glossary of Terms.
- In 1978, Harvey Milk asked his friend Gilbert Baker to make a symbol that would represent gay pride. Using the US flag as inspiration, Baker hand-sewed a rainbow flag. The rainbow pride flag was first flown in San Francisco on June 25, 1978, for Gay Pride Day. Read more about how the rainbow flag came to be.
- Alan Turing was a mathematician who is often credited with creating the foundation of artificial intelligence and computer science. He also played a major role in World War II, helping break several German codes. Read more about Alan Turing.
- Billie Jean King is one of the most famous names in professional tennis. She earned 39 Grand Slam titles from 1966 to 1975. She also beat Bobby Riggs in the famous “Battle of the Sexes” match. Read more about Billie Jean King.
- RuPaul got his start in the ’90s in the music industry, releasing his hit single “Supermodel (You Better Work).” At the same time, he appeared in a number of films as his drag persona, including “Crooklyn,” “The Brady Bunch Movie,” and “Blue in the Face.”. In 2009, he started a drag queen competition show titled “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” and it quickly became a hit among the LGBTQ community. Read more about RuPaul.
- Although most people associate the March on Washington with Martin Luther King, Jr., Bayard Rustin is the person who actually organized the massive event. In fact, Rustin is the one who taught Dr. King about Gandhi’s belief in non-violence and civil disobedience. Read more about Bayard Rustin.