Can You Feel The Love?

June is globally recognized as Pride Month in honor and support of the LGBTQ community. Companies everywhere are taking on colorful temporary logos in order to show their support and national landmarks are lighting up with rainbow colors, the official colors on the pride flag.

People celebrate Pride Month in many different ways, beginning almost 50 years ago after the Stonewall riots in New York. The riots at Stonewall eventually evolved into the gay pride parades that are held in major cities all across the nation. In 2016, president Barrack Obama declared a national park in the 7.7 acres surrounding Stonewall.

It was not until 1999, however, when Bill Clinton officially declared June as “Gay and Lesbian Pride Month” during his presidency. Since then, it has grown to include more than just the gay and lesbian population, as bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, and all other labels were included under the umbrella acronym LGBTQIA+.

And if you didn’t know, each of the colors on the pride flag have a different meaning. Red is life, orange is healing, yellow is sunlight, green is nature, blue is magic/art, and purple is spirit. Each color shows the positivity in embracing all aspects of life, just as we as humans should embrace all forms of love.

What’s unique about this year’s Pride Month is that it will be celebrated for the first time in Antarctica. Not only does the support spread all the way across the globe, but celebrities such as Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift have made heartfelt statements for 2018’s Pride Month.

So how will you be celebrating Pride Month this year?