Agenda - 09-02-2021; 8-a - Minutes

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7 1 2 c. Proclamation Recognizing June 2021 as Pride Month in Orange County 3 The Board considered approving a proclamation recognizing June 2021 as Pride Month 4 in Orange County, North Carolina. 5 6 BACKGROUND: 7 Each year the month of June affords the opportunity to celebrate the legacy of individuals who 8 have fought and continue to fight for the equality of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and 9 Queer (to include intersex and asexual groups) (collectively referred to as "LGBTQ+") residents 10 and recall the trials they have endured. 11 12 The month of June was selected as Pride Month in honor of the uprising at the Stonewall Inn in 13 June 1969, which sparked a liberation movement. In the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, 14 New York police raided a gay bar, the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village. Officers began 15 shoving customers and employees into police vehicles when one lesbian, instead of going 16 quietly, began fighting and cried to the crowd watching, "Why don't you guys do something!" 17 Instead of dispersing as they normally did, the crowd began chanting, throwing bottles and 18 bricks. Violent demonstrations continued over the following days. Stonewall's violent 19 demonstrations amid the protest over the Vietnam War, civil rights and gender equality, marked 20 a decisive break from the passive sexual-orientation politics of the day. In the wake of 21 Stonewall, organizations flourished that were not afraid to use confrontation to push reform such 22 as the Gay Liberation Front. 23 24 The Pride marches began after young activists in 1969 at the Eastern Regional Conference of 25 Homophile Organizations called for nationwide demonstrations each June to honor the 26 Stonewall Uprising. In 1970, the first Pride March called, "Christopher Street Liberation Day" 27 was held in New York City. The event attracted thousands of people. Now cities and towns 28 around the world host Pride marches. These marches were not only the first highly visible public 29 events for gay people to express their sexuality, but also to demonstrate their political 30 expression. In 1987, the Washington, D.C. Pride March coincided with first showing on the 31 AIDS Memorial Quilt on the National Mall. The Quilt covered a space larger than a football field 32 adorned with 1,920 panels capturing the names of those who had died from the disease. Today, 33 the AIDS Memorial Quilt is a 54-ton tapestry that includes nearly 50,000 panels dedicated to 34 more than 105,000 individuals. 35 36 The LGBTQ+ community in America has achieved remarkable progress since Stonewall. 37 Historic Supreme Court rulings in recent years have struck down regressive laws, affirmed the 38 right to marriage equality, and secured workplace protections for LGBTQ+ individuals in every 39 State and Territory. The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act 40 broadened the definition of hate crimes to include crimes motivated by sexual orientation or 41 gender identity. Members of the LGBTQ+ community now serve in nearly every level of public 42 office — in city halls, State capitals, Governors' mansions, halls of the Congress, the White 43 House and the military. 44 45 For all of the progress, there are many states in which LGBTQ+ individuals still lack protections 46 for fundamental rights and dignity in hospitals, schools, public accommodations, and other 47 spaces. There are tragic spikes in violence against transgender women of color. LGBTQ+ 48 individuals—especially youth who defy sex or gender norms—face bullying and harassment 49 in educational settings and are at a disproportionate risk of self-harm and death by suicide. 50 Some states have chosen to actively target transgender youth through discriminatory bills that 51 defy the Nation's values of inclusivity and freedom for all. Chapel Hill-Carrboro Schools 2017