Image by Rhododendrites from Wikimedia Commons
LGBTQ+ Pride month takes place in June every year to commemorate the “1969 Stonewall Uprising in New York.” This uprising “began in the early hours of June 28, 1969 when New York City police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay club located in Greenwich Village in New York City.” This uprising served “as a catalyst for the gay rights movement in the United States and around the world.”
Image by Jordan Uhl from Flickr
Since this event, US Supreme Court decisions have continued to expand upon the rights LGBTQ+ people have in this country. One more recent example is Obergefell v. Hodges, 576 U.S. ____ (2015) which broadens the definition of marriage to include same-sex couples, the Fourteenth Amendment now requiring “a state to license a marriage between two people of the same sex and to recognize a marriage between two people of the same sex when their marriage was lawfully licensed and performed out-of-state.” One even more recent decision is Bostock v. Clayton County, 590 U.S. ____ (2020) in which the Supreme Court held that “an employer who fires an individual merely for being gay or transgender violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.”
To wrap-up Pride month, we have put together a variety of resources for you to use if you’re interested in learning more about LGBTQ+ history, current events, legal resources, etc.
Library of Congress – LGBTQIA+ Studies: A Resource Guide
Harris County Law Library - LGBTQ+ Resources Handout
Texas State Law Library – LGBT Law
Lone Star Legal Aid – LGBTQIA+ Supreme Court Cases Video Series
Harris County Law Library – Celebrate Pride with Ex Libris Juris!
ACLU – Legislative Attacks on LGBTQ Rights
ACLU – Know Your Rights LGBTQ Rights
Justia – LGBTQ+ Rights Supreme Court Cases