June is Pride Month, and we thought it would be good to commemorate the struggle and advancements made by our LGBTQI brothers & sisters (and non-conforming siblings) by delving a bit into Pride history with some fun facts!

(Hat tip to Mic.com and CNN.com for these facts!)

1. The first Pride parade was organized by bisexual activist Brenda Howard a month after the Stonewall Inn Riots in 1969. The Stonewall Inn is a bar in Manhattan's West Village neighborhood that was and is known for its patronage by LGBT clientele. At the time, it was still illegal for LGBT folks to meet in public places. The riots and ensuing protests, incited by a police raid, lasted for three days and nights and are widely recognized as a pivotal moment in LGBT history and the first major push for LGBT rights and equal protection under the law.

2. The iconic Rainbow Flag was first designed and developed by San Francisco artist Gilbert Baker in 1978, inspired by LGBT activist and politician Harvey Milk, who wanted a symbol of pride and hope for the LGBT community to rally around.

The original flag featured eight colors, each representing a different concept — red (life), orange (healing), yellow (sun), green (nature), indigo (harmony), violet (spirit), turquoise (the arts), and hot pink (sex) — but turquoise and hot pink were omitted to cut production costs as demand for the flag grew following Milk's assassination on November 27th, 1978. 

3. Despite his contribution to regrettable anti-LGBT policies like the U.S. military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy (1993; repealed in 2011) and DOMA (the Defense Of Marriage Act, 1996; partially voided in 2013 by the Supreme Court's U.S. v. Windsor decision, fully voided in 2015 by the Supreme Court ruling that states cannot ban same-sex marriage), President Bill Clinton was the first U.S. president to publicly recognize June as Pride Month via official proclamation. President Barack Obama is the only other U.S. president to do so.

4. While Pride Month is generally viewed as being a catch-all celebration for the LGBTQI community, trans people and people of color have largely been absent from mainstream LGBT events and media. As a result, there are many trans-specific and black-specific Pride events and advocacy organizations in various cities. Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego all have dedicated trans-pride events each year. There are lots of black Pride events across the U.S. and around the world, too! For more information about black Pride events near you, please visit the Center For Black Equity.

5. Some might say this is opinion and not a fact, but we assure you — it is indeed factual: Pride events are AWESOME. We've had the pleasure to attend (and vend at) Pride festivals in Washington, D.C., New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego over the years, and they are a blast, regardless of gender, identity, orientation, etc. There are a lot of worse (and very few better) ways to spend a warm June weekend. If you've never been to one, good grief — GET THEE TO PRIDE. And if you have already been to one and are going to be out there for the parades and other festivities throughout the rest of the month, stay safe, have fun, and above all, be PROUD!

And if you're in need of suitable Pride apparel, feel free to check out some of our fave Pride tees & tanks below!

Friend of Dorothy Men's T-Shirt:

Gay (Lion) Pride Unisex Tank Top:

I Heart My Two Moms Women's V-Neck T-Shirt (Juniors Fit):

I Heart My Two Dads Boy's T-Shirt:

That's it until next week!

Peace, love, and pride,

Boredwalk