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WHEREAS, the LGBTQIA+ community’s fight for equal dignity in the eyes of the law has spanned decades in the US; and,
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WHEREAS, as the result of tireless activism by the community’s cross-sectional advocates, contemporary monumental United States Supreme Court decisions have guaranteed the LGBTQIA+ community equal treatment and protection under the law; and,
WHEREAS, in 2013, SCOTUS carried down the ruling that the Defense of Marriage Act was unconstitutional, as well as overruled California’s Proposition 8, a state constitutional amendment intended to ban same-sex marriage; and,
WHEREAS, in 2015, SCOTUS ruled in the civil rights case Obergefell v. Hodges that it was the fundamental right of same-sex couples to marry; and,
WHEREAS, the community has also seen its advocacy for inclusion among groups protected under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act come to fruition in the 2020 SCOTUS landmark civil rights case expanding work-place protections guaranteed to individuals identifying as part of the LGBTQIA+ community; and,
WHEREAS, these milestones would have not been reached if not for the risks taken by activists, who are too many to name, but Pride would not be what it is today without the work of: Sylvia Rivera, Marsha P. Johnson, Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, Harvey Milk, Brenda Howard, Frank Kameny, Lilli Vincenz, Barbara Smith, Gilbert Baker, the Gay Liberation Front, Gay Activists Alliance, Street Transvestites Action Revolutionaries (STAR), Radicalesbians, Eastern Regional Conference of Homophile Organizations (ERCHO); and,
WHEREAS, the victories, big and small, in favor of equal treatment of LGBTQIA+ persons would not have been possible without: Storeme DeLarverie, Bayard Rustin, James Baldwin, Dale Jennings, Harry Hay, Renee Richards, Michael Sam, Senator Tammy Baldwin, Sally Ride, Larry Kramer, Alicia Garza, and so many others not mentioned; and,
WHEREAS, the aforementioned list is by no means exhaustive and the fight for equality is a collective initiative; and,
WHEREAS, while giant strides have been taken towards equal treatment, those who identify as LGBTQIA+ continue to face discrimination and violence from their families, employers, healthcare providers, neighbors, and their government; and,
WHEREAS, the month of June has long been the time when we commemorate and celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community, as well as a time to reflect on the challenges the community still faces and what we can all do to end discrimination still faced by LGBTQIA+ identifying individuals; and,
WHEREAS, June public parades, marches, and events are the result of the cataclysmic Stonewall Uprising- the first march, known as the Christopher Street Liberation Day March, originated from the concept proposed by the Eastern Conference of Homophile Organizations (ECHO) to honor and to mark the one year anniversary of what had happened in New York, June 28th, 1969; and,
WHEREAS, Pride and the movement has evolved and grown to be more inclusive and diverse - with many different voices contributing to meaningful discourse and activism for equitable outcomes; and,
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby celebrate activists and allies; and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby declare June to be “Pride Month” in the City of Pittsburgh.