Imagine being a patron at Stonewall Inn on June 28, 1969 – a bar in the gay area of New York City, USA. A place that you find safe and where you can be yourself, which at the time is few and far between.
Yet, after midnight, police raid this place of refuge – a common occurrence for gay venues as the police viewed these as ‘easy arrests.’ Not this night, though.
A riot breaks out – it goes on for hours and continues late into the night when word spreads about it.
It kickstarts a new era for the LGBTQ+ community – of not hiding in shadows and being polite, but of fighting back, protesting, and being loud about their identity!
A year later, in June 1970, the first Pride protest started – or gay liberation march, as it was called at the time – taking place in cities across the U.S.
In 2025, Pride has grown to be an event that happens around the world; however, there’s a risk of Hungary getting rid of Pride in its country for good.
Pride in Hungary
Since 1997, Hungary has taken to the streets, particularly in Budapest, to celebrate Pride alongside other countries worldwide. This era might be coming to an end as Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s ruling party brings forward a law to ban Pride marches held by the Hungarian LGBTQ+ community.
This community, much like the community at the beginning of Pride, isn’t going to go down without a fight! They vow to defy this law and to continue with Pride, despite the risks – after all, Pride is a protest and people shouldn’t forget that.
Pride being banned is a worry for the worldwide LGBTQ+ community, especially with the rise of right-wing ideology in countries like the U.S. If one country can ban Pride, who’s stopping other countries?
Pride is a Protest
When I went to Pride in Edinburgh in 2024, I was shocked to see corporations marching alongside the LGBTQ+ community – it didn’t feel like people remembered that Pride started as a protest and should continue as a protest!
There were sections that remembered that, but that was few and far between (at least to me it felt like that).
Hopefully, what is happening in Hungary will be a shock to people to make them remember what Pride is for, and just because corporations can slap on rainbows on their products in June, it doesn’t mean that a protest stops being a protest.
Pride in the Past is Braw Magazine’s new column, written by Sarah de Beer, focussing on the parts of history surrounding LGBTQ+ topics. From exploring the roots of modern terminology to celebrating historical LGBTQ+ figures, Pride in the Past will shine a light on LGBTQ+ history that we don’t want to forget – especially now.
Featured Image Credit: Pexels.com
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