ToolKIT
Mission Statement
Our Toolkit will include Educational Materials, Resources, and Mutual Aid Funds Across Los Angeles that can provide support to the BIPOC LGBTQIA+ community in Inglewood, CA.
Introduction
Every year, people from across the world come together in community to celebrate Pride. It is a commemoration to honor the countless leaders who fought and continue to fight for LGBTQIA+ rights. Pride is a space for the LGBTQIA+ community to unapologetically express their authentic selves because they do not always have the opportunity to do so in society. At its core, Pride provides a sense of chosen family by bringing awareness and visibility to LGBTQIA+ experiences and struggles in efforts to fight for our collective liberation.
Background
The history of Pride begins on June 28, 1969 when NYPD raided Stonewall Inn – a popular gay club in New York. The raid turned violent, and people started rioting against the police brutality for several days.
Although the Stonewall Uprising was a monumental event for the LGBTQIA+ community it was not the beginning of the LGBTQIA+ rights movement.
The one-year anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising marked the beginning of the “Christopher Street Liberation Day” march in New York that later transformed into what we now know as Pride.
In the 1980s, there was a cultural shift in the LGBTQIA+ rights movement, and the marches started being called “Pride” marches instead of “Liberation” and “Freedom” marches.
In the 1990s, Pride became very commercialized due to corporate sponsorships. In recent years Pride has become inaccessible as more cities charge higher prices to attend and participate in Pride events.
This year, Christopher Street West – the non-profit that organizes LA Pride – announced that LA Pride will no longer be held in West Hollywood in an effort to accommodate the needs of the LGBTQIA+ community and offer allyship to other social movements. 2021 LA Pride will be an opportunity for Los Angeles and other cities to (re)claim Pride.
Since Pride has become white-centered, we want to be mindful of who is organizing Pride and how Pride is being organized to ensure representation of the BIPOC LGBTQIA+ communities. As we start organizing for Inglewood Pride we plan on centering the voices and lives of the most marginalized people within the LGBTQIA+ rights movement.