Rainbow flags unfurl, as we celebrate Pride Month!
Amid the whimsical energy that June brings come the hope and expectation for our LGBTQ+ (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender/Transexual Queer) friends whose identities and contributions to society are shaped by their lived experiences.
It also serves as a time to recognize their pursuit for equality and acceptance, and other overlooked challenges.
READ: Pride March 2026: Everything to know, expect at the biggest LGBT+ event
Why is it called Pride Month?
Before it was a festive celebration, Pride Month was rooted in activist movement to oppose the discrimination and oppression of homosexuals. The term “Pride” was specifically significant to gay activists back then who defied how society would force them into silence and shame. It was symbolic of their resistance during a period of staid norms, where being queer was considered a mental illness.
While many similar movements mushroomed in the 1920’s until the 1950s, the Stonewall Uprising in June 1969 was said to be the catalyst that triggered the LGBT community into action. Spontaneous, violent police raids at the Stonewall Inn — a gay bar in New York City that has seen a number of harassment by authorities — triggered neighborhood protests, as patrons, forced against the wall of democracy, fought back with a might that surprised even their own ranks.
This event would become a pivotal moment in LGBTQ+ history as it led to the creation of more organizations with the common goal of securing their rights.
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Rainbow flag
Gilbert Baker and Harvey Milk.
In June 1978, or a year after the Stonewall riots, a peaceful march was organized in San Francisco, California where attendees dressed up as they pleased for self-expression. They called it Freedom Day. American artist and gay activist Gilbert Baker unfurled the now globally recognized rainbow flag per request of iconic gay politician Harvey Milk, who was later on slain.
Despite the continued harassment and threats, the community persisted, and the parade was replicated in other states, and became an annual thing.
Over the years, the symbolism behind the flag has evolved to reflect greater inclusivity and acceptance.
Philippine gay movement
FILE PHOTO: A couple hold hands wrapped in a rainbow flag as thousands of LGBTQ members hold a pride march at a sports complex in Marikina City, east of Manila on June 30, 2018. (Photo by TED ALJIBE / AFP)
In the Philippines, the first Pride March of only 60 attendees took place on June 26, 1994, led by the Progressive Organization of Gays in the Philippines (PROGAY Philippines) and the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) Manila.
Rather than the vibrant celebration that we know of today, theirs was more of a socio-political protest that demanded more government intervention on issues like AIDS and HIV, social inequality, and sometimes, even political partisan demands.
The PROGAY march then became the Metro Manila Pride March, which already involved local government and other non-government partners. More and more, the annual event gathered momentum due to the influence of LGBTQ+ members and allies who are using their social media platforms to push for their group’s advocacies.
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Despite this, the Philippines struggled to pass the SOGIE Equality Bill into law. The proposed legislation aims to fight for the gay community’s equal rights and mete out penalty for discrimination.
In June 2018, thousands of gay pride marchers braved heavy rain in Manila to call for the legalization of same-sex marriage as the Supreme Court was poised to rule on a landmark legal challenge to the current ban.
Still, there are silver linings to be had. In February this year, the high court ruled that same-sex couples who live together may be recognized as co-owners of property under the Family Code, provided there is proof of actual contribution.
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