It’s been a little over a half of a century since The Stonewall Riots—a series of demonstrations by members of the gay community in response to a police raid that began on June 28, 1969—at the Stonewall Inn in New York City. The Stonewall Riots became a symbol of resistance to the social and political discrimination of the time and it inspired solidarity among homosexual groups.
The following year, organizers seeking to build on the spirit of resistance held a march to Central Park with the theme of “Gay Pride.” Since its beginning, Pride has expanded from that one political march and celebration to parades, parties, events, and rallies celebrating Pride across the globe. In 2021, there are more than 150 official Pride festivals and events happening around the world.
While Pride began as a social and political movement to create awareness for the LGBTQ+ community’s ongoing struggle for equal rights, Pride has also become a time to celebrate diversity and inclusion. During June as part of Hanzo’s Pride celebration, we asked Hanzonians to share some thoughts of what Pride means to them. Here is what they said.
|
Dave Ruel, Senior Product Manager
|
It has always been that single point in the year where I can actually take a step back and both celebrate and acknowledge how my personal life has changed for the better. It has been incredibly encouraging over the course of my life to see the positive ways in which many countries around the world have moved toward greater acceptance and understanding of the LGBTQ+ community.
|
|
Pride is both a joyful way to celebrate LGBTQ+ culture and the support of LGBTQ+ rights, voices, and contributions to society as well as a call to action to live up to our commitment of standing together for equality, liberty, and justice for all. It is a reminder for us to recognize the resilience and determination of so many who are fighting to live authentically and a time for us to demonstrate our obligation to support the dignity of all people and protect those who are vulnerable.
|
Kathleen Roberge, Chief Revenue Officer
|
|
Bradley Lister, Senior Crawl Engineer
|
To me, Pride is a celebration of the variety and diversity that this beautiful world provides us with, and a message that everyone is equal in this society, regardless of their lifestyle, gender identification, or sexuality!
|
|
I have travelled across the world for my work and for me, Pride is about bringing people together from different backgrounds. I have felt how warm the welcome is in the San Francisco Pride and met people who have been arrested and beaten for trying to organise a Pride event in Russia. It is easy to think of LGBTQ+ Pride in terms of ourselves and our own experiences, but LGBTQ+ rights are global issues that affect everyone. Pride should be about making the whole world better and learning from each other to make the changes we want to see. It's a chance to see how far we have come, celebrate who are, and look ahead to see what remains to be done.
|
Aidan Randle-Conde, Data Scientist
|
|
Gerardo Madrid, Global Human Resources Business Partner
|
Pride to me means celebrating the progress, hard work, and sacrifices that activists have taken for our equal rights. For many of us in the LGBTQ+ community, we've had to sacrifice our authenticity to minimize humiliation, judgment, or unfair treatment. In fact, many people still struggle with this inside and outside of the workplace. Pride is a reminder that we should not have to sacrifice our authentic selves and celebrate what makes us unique.
|
|
Pride means to me an opportunity to celebrate the uniqueness of each individual and all of our perspectives in how we experience the world. It is an opportunity to learn and become better people.
|
Sarena Regazzoni, Director of Communications
|
[View source.]
