DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - Pride Month is a time when LGBTQ+ communities from around the world celebrate the freedom to be themselves. That kind of freedom is something President Joe Biden is committed to protect.
In a Tuesday proclamation, President Biden recognized June as Pride Month. The 46th president is pushing for LGBTQ+ rights. He is calling on congress to pass the Equality Act, which is supposed to ensure the civil rights protections of LGBTQ+ people across the country. However, there are legislative hurdles.
On the first day of Pride Month, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill that bans transgender girls from playing girls' sports. Ross Murray, a member of GLAAD, said Pride Month is a time to celebrate, but a time to recognize the work it takes to achieve equality. Pride Month is more than a parade.
"I think one thing a lot of people don't realize is that LGBTQ+ people have had this 52-plus-year history of trying to carve out a space in society where they can be themselves," Murray explained.
There was a time when homosexuality was outlawed in regions across the nation. In 1969, the New York police department raided the Stonewall Inn. It is a club where LGBTQ people found refuge in being themselves.
The raid started six days and nights of protests. Thousands joined in solidarity.
"There were protests ... there were even riots before Stonewall," Murray said. "But this kind of (situation) was the one that propelled a community in a different direction."
This direction led to the president pushing for the Equality Act more than 50 years later. The act passed the House, but it needs to pass the Senate to get to Biden's desk.
