Pride Month is a celebration each June that honors the 1969 Stonewall riots in Manhattan, which the Library of Congress calls a “tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the United States.” AFSCME joins in the celebration, affirming that members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community – like all Americans – are entitled to respect and dignity, and the equal protection under our laws.
AFSCME is proud to be an advocate for the equal rights of the LGBT community, which has faced and continues to struggle with daunting challenges, in society generally, and the workplace.
The Center for American Progress developed a guidebook that spells out the challenges clearly, and how changes in public policy can help LGBT workers in the public sector gain the dignity and equality they deserve. In a preface as relevant today as it was three years ago, it says:
“In today’s economy, gay and transgender workers are not getting the fair shake they deserve. At a time when all families struggle to stay afloat, far too many gay and transgender Americans are being fired from their jobs or being denied employment and forced into the ranks of the unemployed based simply on their sexual orientation or gender identity. As a consequence, these workers experience staggeringly high rates of discrimination and harassment on the job and all too often lack access to essential workplace benefits such as health care for themselves and their families.”
Although this reality remains true today, many achievements have been made by the LGBT community since the guide was produced in 2012. The younger generation is more accepting, and mainstream media such as The New York Times is giving a public voice to the stories of transgender women and men that were not heard before by a mass audience. The struggle for marriage equality is now before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Pride Month also refers to the pride that members of the LGBT community take in standing up and declaring that they deserve the rights granted to everyone, regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation. That includes the right to be treated fairly.
We take pride in supporting the LGBT community in its efforts to achieve equality and to gain the rights and privileges that all Americans deserve.