{"id":24361,"date":"2022-06-01T08:00:21","date_gmt":"2022-06-01T15:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/?p=24361"},"modified":"2022-05-31T10:49:10","modified_gmt":"2022-05-31T17:49:10","slug":"pride-finding-representation-through-history-and-symbols","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/pride-finding-representation-through-history-and-symbols\/","title":{"rendered":"PRIDE: Finding Representation Through History and Symbols"},"content":{"rendered":"

At Poly, being an ally means supporting authentic self-expression and fostering inclusion year-round, but June is a special time to celebrate Pride. The jubilant festivities worldwide commemorate LGTBQIA+ visibility as a community and personal celebration of self-worth and dignity. It is also a time to remember how such joyful celebrations came to be. This year, we\u2019d like to kick off Pride month by encouraging everyone to learn more about its origins and the iterations of the Pride flag, which is a crucial symbol steeped in meaning and history.<\/p>\n

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Where it Began<\/strong><\/h4>\n

On June 28, 1969, the Stonewall Inn, a small gay bar in Greenwich Village, New York City, was raided. During this raid, revolutionaries including Marsha P. Johnson, Street Transgender Action Revolution founder, and Sylvia Rivera, Gay Liberation Front co-founder, stood their ground with their community. The police\u2019s unjust treatment while arresting gay, drag and transsexual patrons incited a riot that lasted days and sparked a rebellion, launching the gay rights movement<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The following June, the Gay Liberation Front<\/span><\/a> organized marches in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco to protest the rampant, wide-spread injustices against the LGTBQIA+ community. Over time and with change, the marches evolved into what we know today as Pride parades and festivals, which take place every year in June to honor the Stonewall Uprising<\/a><\/span>, nationally and internationally.<\/p>\n

Meaningful Colors<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Nine years after the LGTBQIA+ community rallied at the Stonewall Inn, Gilbert Baker<\/a><\/span> designed the community\u2019s first universal Pride symbol: the flag. Although it isn\u2019t Baker\u2019s initial iteration, we have the rainbow flag we are most familiar with today because of him. Each of the six colors symbolizes an important value, but collectively, they represent the community\u2019s diversity and unity.<\/p>\n

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