It’s the beginning of Pride Month and as you know, being true to yourself is Habits Style.  So in true Habits fashion, a little history and how we feel and celebrate our LGBTQ friends.

THE HISTORY

It’s the beginning of Pride Month and as you know, being true to yourself is Habits Style.  So in true Habits fashion, a little history and how we feel and celebrate our LGBTQ friends. 

On June 28, 1970, on the one year anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, the first Pride marches were held in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. Thousands of LGBT+ people gathered to commemorate Stonewall and demonstrate for equal rights. The events of Stonewall and the liberation movements that followed were a direct result of prior decades of LGBT+ activism and organizing. In particular, Pride traditions were adapted from the “Reminder Day Pickets” held annually (1965-1969) on July 4 at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

As was common for American gay bars at the time, the Stonewall Inn was owned by the Mafia.[8][9][10] While police raids on gay bars were routine in the 1960s, officers quickly lost control of the situation at the Stonewall Inn on June 28, 1969. Tensions between New York City Police and gay residents of Greenwich Village erupted into more protests the next evening and again several nights later. Within weeks, Village residents organized into activist groups demanding the right to live openly regarding their sexual orientation, and without fear of being arrested. The new activist organizations concentrated on confrontational tactics, and within months three newspapers were established to promote rights for gay men and lesbians.

The history of gay rights and the violence against the LGTBQ community has impacted us closer to home than we may think. The attack on Mathew Shepard happened just a few hours from Jackson. In the fall of 1998, the University of Wyoming student was “brutally attacked and tied to a fence outside of Laramie, Wyoming and left to die. On October 12, Matt succumbed to his wounds in a hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado” (mathewshepard.org). The news of this hate crime shocked people across America, and Mathew’s story sparked national backlash against homophobia. 

This is just a brief history and does not do justice to the people who are affected day in and day out by discrimination and brutality.  

I had a discussion with someone I respect about transgender people and the new laws recently put into place. They are alarming to say the least. While they see this as a right to live the life you want, they thought that having books or dialogue in schools was in appropriate.  This is a real and scary idea.  My argument is that if we don’t show compassion and the truth about this topic, to a young, and still kind mind, we will continue to be mired in hate and injustice.

Our children are the future thinkers and policy makers.  If they grow up thinking this is wrong or shameful or not to be believed, then we are failing as a compassionate human species. Reading a book about  LGBTQ will not make someone become part of that community. But it might spur conversations, kindness, and even yes, let someone know that how they feel is ok and not to be judged.  This in itself could save the life of a person struggling to identify with no hope of understanding.  

I hope that this sparks meaningful conversations.  The pressure to cave to a few select individuals that threaten our businesses with boycotts and ugly rhetoric is real for some.  I hope that these businesses don’t give in to hate but instead choose tolerance. I support the LGBTQ community and all persons who just want to live the life they want to live, without fear or judgment. 

Let’s celebrate Pride Month!!!

WYOMING PRIDE

In the state of Wyoming (Population: 578,803), there are around 18,000 people that outwardly identify as LGBTQ+ community. That is roughly 3% of the folks in Wyoming identifying with the LGBTQ+ community. We can only imagine how isolating that may feel. While we may be living in the “Equality State”, Wyoming has never been labeled as a “Welcoming Place” for those who are different. 

This is why we must celebrate PRIDE and continue to strengthen our voices in support and true PRIDE. One thing that is known in state-wide, is that the Wyomingites celebrate the individual and respect those who “march to the beat of their own drum”. While this idea may be interpreted in many ways, we interpret it in the celebration of being you! Being yourself, being proud, being different, being bold. March to the beat of your own drum! This month, wherever you are, we are celebrating the individual, we are celebrating the LGBTQ+ community. 

Habits will forever remain and stand to be a place that welcomes all.

CLICK HERE FOR PRIDE EVENTS IN JACKSON

 LET PEOPLE BE

As mentioned before, the Stonewall riots sparked a movement that is going strong to this day. The Stonewall bar is located in the Chelseas neighborhood in Manhattan, and a year after the riots the first Gay Pride March occurred June 27th. Being located in New York, I have had the opportunity to witness the profound support for the LGBTQ+ community and hear the strong voices. Watching people be who they are without fear is a liberating site to see. Pride month in the city feels much more impactful, and the energy of the city is buzzing. New York has been one the main stages for protesting for people’s rights and pushing for equality. Living here definitely changes your perspective on how the rest of the world lives. Most people here don’t care about what your sexual orientation is, most people just care about if you are a good person or not.

Moving from a small town in Wyoming to New York City has been a dramatic change. I was introduced to so many groups of people I otherwise would have never met. Even though Jackson is “progressive” it is still a small conservative town. We can’t let Wyoming’s dark history of hatred towards the gay community live on. We remember Mathew Shepard. We must rid our small town of hate, and push towards a more accepting future.

If you have a chance to make it to the city–go. Be open to new ideas, and let people be who they want to be! Thats Habits Style.