We are now in June and LGBTQIA Pride Month, which commemorates the 1959 Stonewall Riots in New York City. Progress in relation to equal rights has been a long and winding road since 1959. In many parts of the world LGBT people still face serious forms of discrimination and abuse not experienced by heterosexual and gender-confirming people. Even in the UK where our laws have progressed significantly people still face discrimination due to social attitudes and beliefs.
The answer to the common question “Do we still need Pride?” is a simple “yes”. Here’s Ten Good Reasons:
- Prides are an opportunity to challenge homophobic and transphobic legislation. Rights can never be taken for granted and Pride can contribute to changing hearts and minds.
- Only 17 countries recognise non-binary gender in their passports: Argentina, Austria, Australia, Canada, Columbia, Denmark, Germany, Iceland, India, Ireland, Malta, Mexico, Netherlands, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, and the USA.
- 12 countries prescribe the death penalty for homosexuality: Afghanistan, Brunei, Iran, Mauritania, Nigeria, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, UAE, Uganda and Yemen.
- According to a report by the Institute of Physics, 28% of LGBT+ respondents have at some point considered leaving their workplace because of the climate or discrimination towards LGBT+ people.
- Between 2014-15 and 2018-19, the number of recorded hate crimes based on sexual orientation across England and Wales went up from 5,591 to 14,491 (a rise of 160%).
- There continues to be a lack of positive attitudes toward bisexual people generally, including the continuation of negative stereotypes. For example, the notion that a bisexual person could never be happy in a monogamous relationship or that they are going through a phase.
- People are still attacked because of their real or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity. In relation to bullying, US high school students who identify as LGBT report having been bullied at school (33%) and cyberbullied (27%) in 2021, compared with heterosexual peers (17% and 13% respectively).
- Only seven European countries (Albania, Cyprus, France, Germany, Malta, Portugal and Spain) have a ban on conversion therapy.
- Heterosexuality is presupposed in most social contexts.
- Pride is a protest and a celebration and Pride is here to stay for as long as discrimination exists.
