The Deeper Meaning of Pride Month

By Sigourney Vandeveer, AmeriCorps Member

We celebrate our thriving and vibrant LGBTQIA+ community each year with parades, rainbows, festivals, and more. This has been a tradition in many parts of our country for over 50 years, but why do we celebrate Pride in June? Though typically a joyous affair, Pride month takes place in June to commemorate The Stonewall Riots from June 28th to July 3rd, 1969, in New York City. After a very long history of oppression and violent discrimination, the queer community fought back against the police, who routinely raided their gathering spaces at the Stonewall Inn. This moment of resistance would begin a long, difficult struggle for equal human rights. Today, though the LGBTQIA+ community is now freely able to marry and raise families, there are still many states that allow landlords, employers, and businesses to discriminate based on one’s orientation and gender identity.

Why does all this matter, though? I’d like to take a moment to share some of my personal stories of growing up in the 1990s with lesbian parents to illustrate how our culture and attitudes can impact individuals. In 1991, at St. Mary’s Hospital in Green Bay, WI, my birth into a gay household was considered so peculiar that our story was published in the Green Bay Press-Gazette in November of that year. In the article, my parents explained how I came to be and why they chose to have me. Their desire to build a family together was stronger than their fears of those who spoke out against their love for one another. Though they received many death threats and were denied help by every doctor they spoke to in the Greater Green Bay area, they finally had luck with a family physician in Pulaski, WI, and were able to give me life.

As I grew, my moms told me their stories about how I came to be born to them. To me, my family was normal and wonderful, but I often witnessed community members screaming insults and threats at my parents for holding hands or embracing in public when I was still a tiny child. In second grade, my homophobic second-grade teacher convinced the school administration to kick my parents off school grounds for that whole year, claiming that their presence made her uncomfortable. As a 7-year-old, I felt even more uncomfortable having to walk a block and a half off school property under the eye of the school’s resource officer with another classmate’s parent to get to my folks’ vehicle. This same teacher forbade me from bringing my stuffed golden retriever that I carried with me for comfort and admonished me when she caught me trying to communicate to any of my classmates about what was happening to me and my family. Thank goodness for the beautiful heart of my third-grade teacher, Mrs. Miller, who helped me thrive after that year of grief and strife.

Around that same time, my non-biological mother’s workplace discovered that my mom was gay and proceeded to harass her until she was permanently disabled. They stole items from her desk, invited her to gatherings that they were not actually having, and even pushed her down a set of stairs. With one parent no longer able to work, my mothers filed a lawsuit against the paper mill for discrimination. No lawyer would help them, so my biological mother had to use her time and limited knowledge of the law to be both their own lawyer and the breadwinner of the family. Though they worked hard to hide it, we lived below the poverty line and struggled badly to make ends meet. After years and years of appeals and hearings, my parents’ case was denied and thrown out. By then, I was in 6th grade and preparing to become a black belt in Karate. I took up martial arts at age eight because half the children in my neighborhood would often bully and hit me for being different. I was lucky to have a supportive group of friends as my precious allies in the area.

I went on to graduate high school with high honors and a plethora of community service hours and extracurricular activities. Still, I felt a deep sense of loss and sadness inside as I prepared for university. For many years, I struggled with my mental health and ability to trust, but as an adult, I finally had the tools to cope with the adversity I faced. Most importantly, I have noted with great satisfaction that my community has finally begun to change for the better for LGBTQIA+ individuals and families. Families like mine are no longer anomalies and “freaks” with “alternative lifestyles.” They are parents, citizens, volunteers, and functioning members of our humble city.

I graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, which is now one of the most LGBTQIA+-friendly campuses in the state. It boasts a thriving Pride resource center and inclusive policies that protect marginalized and vulnerable people from harm. The Pride Center hosts trainings for campus police, staff and faculty, housing staff, and more. The city now flies Pride flags and displays rainbow lights on our Main Street bridge to honor Pride. Even the overall attitudes of those living here have begun to shift towards love and acceptance of our LGBTQIA+ neighbors and community members.

Though we still have a long way to go and much to discuss, I am optimistic that life will continue to improve for the LGBTQIA+ community in this region. I continue to have conversations and share my experiences with others to promote understanding and encourage love and support. I dream we will build a world where no child will ever have to go through what I went through again.

You can help create a better, more equitable world by learning about queer culture, knowing the facts, and supporting local events, shelters, artists, businesses, etc. that positively impact the LGBTQIA+ community. A great way to get started is to complete the Girl Scout Pride Fun Patch activities with your troop. The list is linked here. Girl Scouts can choose from a variety of great projects and activities to learn all about the historical roots of Pride and the LGBTQIA+ community! Additionally, you can check out some of the many Pride events hosted throughout the state this summer to learn more!

Wisconsin 2024 Pride events listed by date:

Family Pride Fest- Wausau, WI- June 1, 2024: https://www.wausaupride.org/

PrideFest- Milwaukee, WI- June 6-8, 2024: https://www.pridefest.com/

Chippewa Valley Pride in the Park- Eau Claire, WI- June 8, 2024: https://www.facebook.com/lgbtcommunitycenter/

Central Wisconsin Pride- Aniwa, WI- June 13-16, 2024: https://www.centralwipride.org/

Point Pride- Stevens Point, WI- June 15, 2024: https://stevenspointpride.com/stevens-point-pride-2024/

Northwood Pride Festival- Rhinelander, WI- June 15, 2024: http://www.northwoodspride.com/

Fox Valley Pride- Neenah, WI- June 22, 2024: https://www.fvpride.org/

Viroqua Pride- Viroqua, WI- June 22, 2024: https://www.facebook.com/viroquaareapride/

Fond Du Lac Pride Picnic- Fond Du Lac, WI- June 23, 2024: https://www.travelwisconsin.com/events/fairs-festivals/pride-picnic-fond-du-lac-205684

Pridefest Weekend at Wetmore Park- Sun Prairie, WI- June 24, 2024: https://www.explorecm.org/events-calendar/pridefest-weekend-at-wetmore-park

Open Door Pride- Sturgeon Bay, WI- June 29, 2024: https://opendoorpride.org/

Oshkosh Pride- Oshkosh, WI- June 29, 2024: https://www.visitoshkosh.com/event/oshkosh-pride-2024/137339/

Sheboygan Pride Picnic- Sheboygan, WI- June 29, 2024: https://visitsheboygan.com/event/pride-picnic/

Kenosha Pride- Kenosha, WI- July 6, 2024: https://www.kenoshapride.org/

Magic Pride Festival- Madison, WI- August 18, 2024: https://www.outreachmagicfestival.org/

Pride in the Park- La Crosse, WI- September 7, 2024: https://www.7riverslgbtq.org/pride-in-the-park

NEW Pride Alive- De Pere, WI- September 21, 2024: https://www.yournewpride.org/

Upper Michigan 2024 Pride events listed by date:

Keweenaw Pridefest- Keweenaw, MI- June 1, 2024: https://keweenawpridefest.org/

2024 UP Pride Festival- Ironwood, MI- June 7, 2024: https://felivelife.org/event/2024-pride-up-festival/

Pride Fest 2024- Marquette, MI- June 8, 2024: https://www.uprainbowpride.org/