The month of June was chosen for LGBT Pride Month to commemorate the Stonewall riots, which occurred at the end of June 1969. As a result, many pride events are held during this month to recognize the impact LGBT people have had in the world.

There are so many Pride events today that they can no longer fit in just one month and now cover most of the summer months. While this is an amazing indication of how far the LGBTQ+ community has come, there is still work to be done, and celebrating Pride Month is a way to draw attention to that work and protest the injustices the LGBTQ+ community still face.

On 28th June 1969, an uprising took place at the Stonewall Inn in New York City. As it was raided by the police in the early hours, three nights of unrest followed, with LGBT people, long frustrated by police brutality, finally fighting back. Lesbians and trans women of colour were some of the key people involved in the act of resistance, including Stormé DeLarverie, Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson. This anniversary is a reminder of the power of standing together in defiance of those who seek to divide us.

The 14 July is International Non-binary People’s Day, which aims to celebrate the wide range of people worldwide who identify as non-binary. Non-binary is an umbrella term for people whose gender identity doesn’t sit comfortably with ‘man’ or ‘woman’. Non-binary identities are varied and can include people who identify with some aspects of binary identities, while others reject them entirely.

Non-binary people can feel that their gender identity and gender experience involves being both a man and a woman, or that it is fluid, in between, or completely outside of that binary. Trans and Non-binary people are some of the most oppressed members of the LGBTQ+ community and it is vital that we have days which bring attention to the lives and experiences of Non-binary people and that we take action against trans and non-binary phobia on this day and all days.