Our colleagues in the HWWG recommend a Fit Friday walk to get rid of the June Gloom. That’s a great idea, but introducing some color into your month might help too!
June is LGBT Pride Month, and today is Gilbert Baker’s birthday. Baker designed the rainbow flag, and is honored with today’s Google doogle (what bigger honor is there??)– and a contextual overlay on selected search results screens (see an example compared with this).
Parade March for Cesar E. Chavez: A parade. Leading is a group with a rainbow banner reading “Gay & Lesbian Latinos Con Orgullo San Diego”. Image from UCSB on Calisphere
Read more…
… from the Library of Congress:
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month (LGBT Pride Month) is currently celebrated each year in the month of June to honor the 1969 Stonewall riots in Manhattan. The Stonewall riots were a tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the United States. In the United States the last Sunday in June was initially celebrated as “Gay Pride Day,” but the actual day was flexible. In major cities across the nation the “day” soon grew to encompass a month-long series of events. Today, celebrations include pride parades, picnics, parties, workshops, symposia and concerts, and LGBT Pride Month events attract millions of participants around the world. Memorials are held during this month for those members of the community who have been lost to hate crimes or HIV/AIDS. The purpose of the commemorative month is to recognize the impact that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals have had on history locally, nationally, and internationally.
… from Vox:
This Friday’s Google Doodle is honoring Gilbert Baker’s 66th birthday.
Baker is someone most people likely aren’t familiar with, even though they’ve probably seen his work many, many times — particularly in the next 28 days as the world celebrates LGBTQ Pride Month. He invented the rainbow flag.
Google’s timing is notable: Not only is it LGBTQ Pride Month, but Baker died earlier this year, on March 31.
Gay Pride March down Hollywood Boulevard from the LA Public Library on Calisphere
So how did Baker come up with the flag, and what does it mean, anyway?
… and in our Special Collections and Archives:
Collection Number:MS.R.124Description: This collection contains materials collected by Dick Hitt from 1978-2008 documenting gay and lesbian employees of the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, as well as LGBT news and events in the Orange County area and beyond. Included are newsletters, fliers, … Read More
2. Gay and Lesbian Community Services Center of Orange County Records 1977-2005
Collection Number:MS.R.118
Description: This collection comprises the records of The Gay and Lesbian Community Services Center of Orange County (The Center OC), a not-for-profit organization serving the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community in Orange County, California. The collection documents the Center OC’s … Read More3. Callahan (Patricia) Files on Orange County Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Activism 1965-2005,
Collection Number: MS-R119
Description: This collection primarily documents AIDS, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender activism in Orange County, California circa 1985-2005, including material on the Elections Committee of the County of Orange (ECCO), Laguna Outreach, and the No on 64 Campaign. The bulk of … Read More
And finally, if that doesn’t work, try the ‘Pride Classics’ playlist on Spotify. Gloom is no match for classic disco.