By Rosario Ruiz
After two years of the pandemic, the streets of hundreds of cities in the country were dressed in colors on June 25 for the LGBT+ Pride march. The parade’s 44th year was celebrated in a big way in Mexico City. It had the participation of artists and influencers such as Ophelia Pastrana, Regina Blandón, Roberto Carlo, Michelle Rodríguez, and many other personalities who served as leaders of the march. San Miguel was no exception, a group belonging to the LGBTQ+ community, took to the main streets of the city, to parade and proudly show who they are.
This colorful celebration, however, has a dark origin. In the early hours of June 28, 1969, a riot broke out between police and a group of homosexuals. It happened in a pub known as the Stonewall Inn, in the New York neighborhood of Greenwich Village. The reason for the start of the melee was that men were dancing with each other, in clothing not considered traditional for their gender. On that early morning, the police tried to arrest the 200 people in the bar. But instead of allowing themselves to be attacked and harassed, the attendees decided to resist and fight. More members of the LGBT community joined in, and it became a fight for gay rights.
Each year since that date, sexual identity is proudly displayed and celebrated. The purpose is to claim their rights and to remind everyone that no one should be discriminated against because of their orientation.
