To mark the 50th anniversary of the first Pride march, .gay will be saying “Thank you!” to the staff, volunteers, donors, and board members of CenterLink’s Member Centers who are helping their local LGBTQIA+ communities to thrive, each day during June.
In June 1970, one year after the Stonewall rebellion, LGBTQIA+ activists in New York City organized the Christopher Street Gay Liberation Day — the first Pride parade. Marching proudly up New York City’s Sixth Avenue to Central Park, banners held high, they proclaimed that “Gay is Good” and stood together to denounce prejudice, persecution, bigotry, and hate.
This historic event was not just a celebratory parade: it was a protest commemorating the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall riots. At the Stonewall riots in 1969 and at the Compton’s Cafeteria riot in 1966, LGBTQIA+ people — led in particular by trans* people who were Black or from other communities of color — fought back against police brutality and harassment.
As the 50th anniversary of Christopher Street Gay Liberation Day approaches, LGBTQIA+ people can proudly look back on five decades of action in the fight for equality. However, there is always more to do. As LGBTQIA+ communities acknowledge past accomplishments, they simultaneously engage and organize to make the future even better. No one is free until everyone is free, and the vanguard of today’s LGBTQIA+ activists work intersectionally, continuing to build on the foundations laid by previous generations.
.gay recognizes that the movement for LGBTQIA+ equality must:
include racial equality and justice;
recognize the key contributions to the movement made by LGBTQIA+ people with intersectional identities, including Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color, and center their experiences;
work to dismantle racism within LGBTQIA+ communities as hard as it works to dismantle racism outside of the LGBTQIA+ communities;
take action, stand with protestors, and proudly proclaim that BLACK LIVES MATTER.
To recognize all the critical work being done right now, .gay is extending a #BigGayThankYou to all LGBTQIA+ and allied advocates, organizers, activists, volunteers, staff, service providers, board members, and donors who are making the world a better place by advancing equality and fighting against racism.
We are partnering with CenterLink, a beneficiary of our commitment to donate 20% of .gay’s new registration revenue, to give special recognition to their community centers around the world. Every day in June on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, .gay will share a #BigGayThankYou to a CenterLink affiliate. As the month continues, check the hashtag #BigGayThankYou to watch the individual centers become a rainbow coalition.
“As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Pride, we take great pride in the work that LGBTQIA+ Community Centers have provided for over 50 years!” said CenterLink CEO Denise Spivak. “Whether providing support, counseling, programming, referrals, and/or advocacy, LGBTQIA+ centers provide important, often life-saving services to over 2 million people every year. These organizations truly are the heart and soul of our communities!"
With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, online connection is more important than ever. 50 years after the first Pride march, .gay is proud to provide LGBTQIA+ people with a safer online space to connect, organize, celebrate, and reaffirm that “Gay is Good!”
Please help us thank these advocates by liking, sharing, leaving supportive comments, and perhaps even joining us in donating to a CenterLink community center near you!
Liz Achanta
