Around the world, the LGBT community celebrates their activism every year during the month of June. During this special month, various events are organized worldwide to raise awareness for the acceptance of LGBT+ people. The month of June was chosen at the time in response to the Stonewall riots that took place in June 1969 at the time.
The trigger for these riots was a raid by police on the Stonewall Inn in Manhattan. The LGBT+ community held a series of spontaneous demonstrations that involved a lot of violence. The purpose of the riots was to protest against these kinds of raids and to call for the establishment of places where gays and lesbians could go and be safe. The riots acted as a catalyst for the rights of LGBT+ people.
The Stonewall riot was a turning point for the gay movement in the United States, but it certainly had its effects in the rest of the world as well. Nowadays, the celebrations no longer consist of 1 day, but of an entire month in which pride parades, picnics, parties, workshops, symposiums and concerts are organized. Sometimes, however, we seem to forget the activist side of pride month.
In fact, Pride month is more than just a month of celebration and fun activities. It is a month in which the LGBT+ community often peacefully sends a signal to society and politicians to make them aware of the still ongoing problems the community is facing. This is usually done through organized talks and meetings on a variety of topics. During these periods we also see many LGBT+ related exhibitions.
Art makes people think about, and strongly contributes to (re)considering your opinion. Also my work at times contains an activist message. Think for example of images like LOVED or PERSISTANCE with which I express how I experience the society I live in.
