Pride Month is an annual celebration held in June to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan, a pivotal moment in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights. The Stonewall Uprising was a series of spontaneous demonstrations by members of the LGBTQ+ community in response to a police raid at the Stonewall Inn in New York City, a popular gathering place for queer people. The uprising led to the formation of numerous LGBTQ+ organizations and sparked the modern gay rights movement.
On June 28, 1970, the first Pride march was held in New York City to commemorate the one-year-anniversary of the Stonewall riots. Since then, Pride Month has grown into a global celebration of love, diversity, acceptance, and self-affirmation. It is a time to recognize the impact that queer people have had on history, to raise awareness about ongoing challenges faced by the community, and to celebrate the progress made in the fight for equality.
Pride Month provides a platform for LGBTQ+ people to be visible, heard, and celebrated. Ultimately, Pride Month is a powerful reminder of the resilience, strength, and love within the queer community. Click on the Pride flag to learn more about the history of Pride!
YDL is celebrating Pride Month by featuring Pride book displays at each of our branches. Find more information about Pride— including the meanings of common flags and the stories of notable LQBTQ+ individuals—below.
Celebrate Pride all year long at YDL
Check out a YDL book about pride to talk about with the whole family.
Library Displays
Click pictures to enlarge
YDL-Whittaker Youth Display
YDL-Whittaker Teen Display
YDL-Whittaker DVD Display
YDL-Whittaker Lobby Display
YDL-Michigan Youth Display
YDL-Superior Display
Common Flags
Click on any of these flags to learn more about its meaning and the meanings of other common Pride flags.
Progress Pride Flag
Lesbian Flag
Nonbinary Flag
Transgender Flag
Asexual Flag
Bisexual Flag
Pansexual Flag
Intersex Flag
Gender Queer Flag
Genderfluid Flag
Agender Flag
Aromantic Flag
Gilbert Baker Pride Flag
1978-1999 Pride Flag
Queer People of Color Flag
Polyamory Flag
Straight Ally Flag
Rainbow Pride Flag
Notable LGBTQ+ People
Learn about three of the many notable members of the LGBTQ+ community. You can find any available library materials about them by clicking on their images!
Harvey Bernard Milk (May 22, 1930 – November 27, 1978) was an American politician and the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California, as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Milk was elected city supervisor in 1977 after San Francisco began to choose neighborhood representatives rather than city-wide ones.
During Milk’s almost eleven months in office, he sponsored a bill banning discrimination based on sexual orientation in public accommodations, housing, and employment. The Supervisors passed the bill by a vote of 11–1, and Mayor George Moscone signed it into law. On November 27, 1978, Milk and Moscone were assassinated by Dan White, a disgruntled former city supervisor who cast the sole vote against Milk’s bill.
Despite his short political career, Milk became an icon in San Francisco and a martyr in the LGBTQ community. In 2002, Milk was called “the most famous and most significant openly LGBTQ official ever elected in the United States.”
James Arthur Baldwin (né Jones; August 2, 1924 – December 1, 1987) was an American writer and civil rights activist who garnered acclaim for his essays, novels, plays, and poems. His 1953 novel Go Tell It on the Mountain has been ranked by Time magazine as one of the top 100 English-language novels. His 1955 essay collection Notes of a Native Son helped establish his reputation as a voice for human equality. Baldwin was an influential public figure and orator, especially during the civil rights movement in the United States.
Baldwin’s work continues to influence artists and writers. His unfinished manuscript Remember This House was expanded and adapted as the 2016 documentary film I Am Not Your Negro, winning the BAFTA Award for Best Documentary. His 1974 novel If Beale Street Could Talk was adapted into a 2018 film of the same name, which earned widespread praise.
Li Tingting (Chinese: 李婷婷; pinyin: Lǐ Tíngtíng; born 1989), known professionally as Li Maizi is a Chinese activist and campaigner for gender equality, sexual harassment awareness, and sexuality. She was detained by police on the eve of International Women’s Day in 2015, along with four other activists from the “Feminist Five,” for planning to protest sexual harassment on public transport.
Li’s activism career started during her undergraduate studies. When a friend of hers was pregnant, Li started to give sexual education to her peers. During her second year of university, Li set up a Lesbian Community Training Group, offering counseling services and support for university students. She led the Occupy Men’s Room (Chinese: 占领男厕所) demonstration with Zheng Churan, among other demonstrations. Li has reportedly been put on the Chinese media blacklist, which means no national media will report on or converse with her. The NGO Li worked for was also shut down as an example. She has written her own pieces for international media, including The Guardian, and currently lives in New York with her wife.
RESOURCES
Ozone House has resources available to homeless and struggling young people, as well as LGBTQ+ youth-specific assistance. Ozone House provides a crisis line, counseling, housing, school assistance, and job assistance. Every Thursday, Ozone House hosts Pridezone, a social and support group for LGBTQ+ people ages 13-20.
The Jim Toy Community Center is a local organization focused on sharing information about local LGBTQ+ events and groups. Visit their website for more information about legal assistance for LGBTQ+ individuals.