Listen & Learn: History of Pride Month
5th June 2024 by Jaksyn Peacock
Pre-listening vocabulary
- pride: a feeling of happiness with yourself and your accomplishments
- honour: to show respect for something
- LGBTQ+: an acronym for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community
- parade: a public celebration that involves marching through the street
- raid: to suddenly and violently enter a place
- riot: to protest, especially in a violent or disruptive way
- activist: someone who fights for social change
- patron: someone who goes to a shop, restaurant, bar, or other public place
Listening activity
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Gapfill exercise
Comprehension questions
See answers below
- Most places celebrate Pride Month in
a. May
b. June
c. July - In 1969,
a. activists held the Christopher Street Gay Liberation Day March
b. police raided the Stonewall Inn, leading to riots
c. patrons of the Stonewall Inn first started using the word “pride” - Activist L. Craig Schoonmaker chose the term “gay pride” because
a. he thought it would make the cause more appealing
b. he wanted the protests to be celebrations
c. he believed people could have pride even if they had no power
Discussion/essay questions
- Why do people protest? Do you think it is an effective way to bring social change?
- Should all protests be peaceful? Why or why not?
Transcript
Many countries recognize June as Pride Month. Pride Month honours the struggles and achievements of LGBTQ+ people throughout history. Every year, people go to festivals and parades to celebrate LGBTQ+ identity. However, Pride has not always been a celebration. It began as a protest in June 1969, after police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City. Hundreds of people rioted against police treatment of the patrons. The next year, activists in New York held the Christopher Street Gay Liberation Day March on the anniversary of the riots. This began a tradition of LGBTQ+ rights protests in June. The term “gay pride” comes from activist L. Craig Schoonmaker. He chose it because he believed people could still have pride even if they had no power. LGBTQ+ activists around the world still fight for rights and safety today.
Answers to comprehension questions
1b 2b 3c