June is LGBT Pride Month, which goes back to remembering the Stonewall riots back in 1969 in Manhattan among other events, and DC Comics has put together a pretty solid feature on characters in their comics universe that have been written that way for quite some time. The special edition of DC All Access is hosted by Jase Peeples, who is the entertainment editor of The Advocate magazine, and it clocks in at just over seven minutes and looks at both the good and the bad of what the publisher has done over the years, reflecting the times and the changes in interesting ways when you look at it from the bigger picture point of view.
Part of it is also to celebrate the release of Midnighter, which hit this week, which has featured a very open gay character for quite some time that was a challenge for some readers when he first debuted years ago as part of Wildstorm’s publishing line. The promo does some really good stuff in showing the changes over the years, touching on the Comics Code Authority, and the gradual changes that have mirrored society’s growing acceptance and understanding.
About LGBT Pride Month
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month (LGBT Pride Month) is currently celebrated each year in the month of June to honor the 1969 Stonewall riots in Manhattan. The Stonewall riots were a tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the United States. In the United States the last Sunday in June was initially celebrated as “Gay Pride Day,” but the actual day was flexible. In major cities across the nation the “day” soon grew to encompass a month-long series of events. Today, celebrations include pride parades, picnics, parties, workshops, symposia and concerts, and LGBT Pride Month events attract millions of participants around the world. Memorials are held during this month for those members of the community who have been lost to hate crimes or HIV/AIDS. The purpose of the commemorative month is to recognize the impact that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals have had on history locally, nationally, and internationally.
In 1994, a coalition of education-based organizations in the United States designated October as LGBT History Month. In 1995, a resolution passed by the General Assembly of the National Education Association included LGBT History Month within a list of commemorative months.
LGBT History Month is also celebrated with annual month-long observances of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history, along with the history of the gay rights and related civil rights movements. National Coming Out Day (October 11), as well as the first “March on Washington” in 1979, are commemorated in the LGBT community during LGBT History Month.
