NOW Celebrates Pride Month

June is Pride Month. This month holds special significance for me because my wife, Sarah, and I were married on June 27, 2015 - just one day after the Supreme Court's decision in Obergefell v. Hodges legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.

Although the timing was purely coincidental, many of our family members and guests celebrated by posting "Love Wins" alongside our wedding photos on social media.

After Donald Trump's election in 2016, I wrote publicly about my fear that marriage equality and other LGBTQIA+ rights could come under attack. I joked that if anyone expected me to return their wedding gift because they no longer supported my marriage, they shouldn't hold their breath.

Beneath the humor was a sincere concern: Rights won through decades of struggle can never be taken for granted.

That's why we celebrate Pride Month to uplift LGBTQIA+ rights and honor the significant victories achieved since the historic Stonewall Uprising in June 1969.

The Stonewall Inn, now a national monument, was one of the most popular gay bars in New York City at a time when homosexuality was criminalized. Constant police harassment and raids were a fact of life. The Stonewall Inn had been raided repeatedly in the months leading up to June 28, 1969, including earlier that same week.

But on that night, something changed. As patrons and workers were pushed into police vehicles, the crowd outside did not disperse as it had so many times before.

Instead, people resisted. Six days of protest ignited a movement that spread across the country. Transgender activists, drag performers, and other LGBTQIA+ people who had long been marginalized played vital roles in the uprising and the movement that followed.

One year later, on June 28, 1970, the first Pride marches were held in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. In 1999, President Bill Clinton became the first U.S. president to officially recognize June as Pride Month.

NOW emerged during the same era, fueled by the same spirit of grassroots activism, personal empowerment, and outrage at systemic discrimination. When NOW members say, "We Won't Go Back," we mean it. We remain committed to defending LGBTQIA+ rights and opposing efforts to roll back hard-won freedoms.

That includes supporting passage of the Equality Act, which would establish nationwide protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in employment, housing, education, public accommodations, and other areas of public life. The legislation would also strengthen protections against discrimination based on sex, race, and religion.

NOW has long been a champion of LGBTQIA+ rights, including when doing so was politically unpopular. We were among the first national advocacy organizations to embrace marriage equality and recognize that LGBTQIA+ rights are women's rights.

Pride Month is a time of celebration, community, and joy. NOW joins in celebrating the collective strength of a community that refuses to be diminished. We honor those who came before us, lift up the progress that has been made, and recommit ourselves to the work that remains.

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