Pride Month Mes del Orgullo

Escucha en Español aquí: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ujmt3EAtKnU&t=3s

Transcription of the Cafe con ALASI Podcast:

What does it really mean? And why is it celebrated specifically in June? Well, get comfortable because here comes the story.

First, let’s clear up something many people wonder about: What does LGBTQ+ mean?

The letters represent different identities within the community:

🌈 L stands for Lesbian: women who feel emotional or romantic attraction toward other women.

🌈 G stands for Gay: people who feel attraction toward people of the same gender.

🌈 B stands for Bisexual: people who feel attraction toward more than one gender.

🌈 T stands for Transgender: people whose gender identity is different from the sex assigned to them at birth.

🌈 Q stands for Queer or Questioning. “Queer” is a broad term many people proudly use to describe diverse identities, and “Questioning” refers to people who are exploring or discovering their identity.

🌈 And the + symbol represents all the other identities and orientations that are also part of this human diversity.

And as we say in our communities: “Every mind is its own world.” We all live and feel differently, and that is also part of what makes a community rich and beautiful.

Now, to understand Pride Month, we have to travel back to the year 1969, to New York City.

At that time, LGBTQ+ people faced tremendous discrimination. It was common for them to be rejected, harassed, or even arrested simply for being who they were. Imagine that… living in fear just for existing.

But as we say in Mexico: “The pitcher goes to the water so many times until it finally breaks.”

And the community was tired of being treated unfairly.

In the early morning of June 28, 1969, something happened that changed history.

At a place called the Stonewall Inn, a bar frequented by LGBTQ+ people, police carried out a raid, something that sadly was very common at the time. But that night was different.

The community decided to say: “Enough is enough!”

Trans people, drag queens, Latino youth, African Americans, and many members of the community came together to resist and demand dignity, respect, and freedom.

Those protests, known as the Stonewall Uprising, became the beginning of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement.

And that is why June became Pride Month.

But here’s something important… Pride is not only a party or a colorful parade.

It is also memory.

It is remembering those who fought when doing so was dangerous.

It is recognizing the people who paved the way so that today there can be more visibility, more rights, and more opportunities to live authentically.

Because behind every rainbow flag, there are stories of courage, resistance, and hope.

And one of the beautiful things about Pride Month is that it also invites us to reflect on community.

On how we can build spaces where every person feels safe, respected, and welcome. Because at the end of the day, we all want the same thing: to live with dignity, love, and peace.

As people often say: “There is room for everyone at the table.”

At ALASI, we believe that celebrating diversity also strengthens our Latino communities. Our culture has always been full of family, support, and solidarity. And that includes supporting our LGBTQ+ neighbors, friends, and loved ones.

So during this month, in addition to celebrating, we also learn. We listen to stories. We recognize struggles. And we continue working toward more inclusive and humane communities.

And we want to make something very clear, community: Here we talk about respect. Here we talk about humanity.

As Benito Juárez once said: “Respect for the rights of others is peace.”

And that applies to everyone, without exception.

Because when we talk about Pride, we are not talking about taking rights away from anyone. We are talking about defending, caring for, and protecting our humanity. We are talking about every person’s right to live with dignity, safety, love, and respect.

Here we celebrate every characteristic that makes us human. Our similarities… and also our differences. Because a strong community is not built by excluding people; mockingidentities. What example are we stetting with the use of our words? Community is built by learning how to live together, listen to one another, and respect each other.

At ALASI, we believe in building bridges, not walls.

Here we build community and ask for respect.

Here we talk about love, acceptance, and empathy.

That is why Pride continues to be important. Because as long as discrimination exists, it will continue to be necessary to raise our voices for human dignity.

And as our grandmothers say: “Love never hurts anyone.”

Thank you for joining us for another episode of Café con ALASI.

And remember: respect, empathy, and community never go out of style.

We’ll hear each other again in the next episode of Café con ALASI!