Happy Pride Month!
The history, the fight, and why 2026 needs us fully present.
“No pride for some of us without liberation for all of us.” — Marsha P. Johnson
Hey Reset Fam,
Happy Pride Month. 🏳️🌈
June is Pride Month. And before we celebrate, let’s talk about why.
It was June 28th, 1969 at The Stonewall Inn which is a small dive bar in Greenwich Village, New York City. A place where LGBTQ+ people gathered simply to exist, to be themselves in a world that criminalized their very presence.
That night police raided the bar. Again. Because that’s what they did: they targeted, harassed, and arrested queer people just for being queer.
But that night was different. That night our community fought back.
What started as a riot became a revolution. And that revolution became Pride.
Over 50 years later, the fight is not over.
In 2026 trans rights are under attack. Anti-LGBTQ+ legislation is being passed at alarming rates. Queer people are still being targeted, harassed, and erased. The same hate that existed in 1969 has simply put on a new suit.
This is why Pride matters now. Not just as a celebration , but as a declaration. We are still here. We are still fighting. And we are not going anywhere.
But here’s what I need you to understand, Pride doesn’t end on June 30th.
Pride is showing up on July 1st just as boldly as you did in June. It’s living unapologetically on a random Tuesday in October. It’s refusing to shrink yourself in a room that wasn’t built for you. It’s existing fully, loudly, and without apology every single day of the year.
Because we don’t get to take a month off from being who we are. And we shouldn’t have to.
This Pride Month it is important to show up fully & unapologetically. In whatever way feels right for you.
Attend a Pride event in your city. March. Celebrate. Dance. Feel the collective power of our community showing up together.
But also — go deeper. Learn the history. Know the names of those who fought for you. Read about Marsha P. Johnson. Bayard Rustin. Brenda Howard — the bisexual activist known as the Mother of Pride. Learn about the trans women of color who threw the first punches at Stonewall so that we could stand here today.
Here are some reputable places to start:
🏳️🌈 The Human Rights Campaign — hrc.org 🏳️🌈 GLSEN — glsen.org 🏳️🌈 The Digital Transgender Archive — digitaltransgenderarchive.net 🏳️🌈 The Library of Congress LGBTQ+ Studies Guide — guides.loc.gov/lgbtq-studies
And personally — ask yourself how you want to show up MORE authentically every single day. Not just in June. Every day.
Because Pride is not a month. Pride is a lifestyle. Pride is choosing yourself — boldly, beautifully, unapologetically — every single day of the year.
We GET to be here. We GET to be ourselves. And nobody; no legislation, no hate, no erasure — gets to take that from us.
Come celebrate Pride with us in Queer.Reset — a safe space where we show up for each other every single day: https://www.skool.com/queerclarity-5386
1% better everyday.
With intention,
✨ Les (they/them)
P.S. I created a vision board book for Queer People of Color because we deserve to see ourselves reflected in our vision. Get your copy here: https://a.co/d/04jWkoOg
As always your passion for the community shows through your writing. Thanks for sharing and thanks for your story about Stonewall (the bar still exists), it often gets over looked.
I appreciate the links you provided. I was able to check out The Human Rights Campaign to see what politicians are supporting the community here in Florida and found that there is a Steering Committee right in my area. I’ll have to attend a future meeting.
I looked up my union, District Council 37 (NYC) and found they still have a Lesbian and Gay Committee and they will be marching in NYC Pride Parade this year. It’s good to know that a committee that was started some years ago, and I was part of, still has breath in it.
I’m going to get a pride flag to hang up in my window and the Property Manager said I can put anything on the outside of my apartment door as long as the wording is not offensive. So I might be decorating the front door with Pride memorabilia, this is where I certainly need a Queen friend - they can decorate anything and make it look good (smile).
Keep the newsletter coming. You are doing a great service to all of us.
Happy Pride Life!