From Riots to Rainbows

- Srijani, XII

Pride Month, celebrated every June, is more than just a time for colorful parades and vibrant flags—it's a powerful tribute to the LGBTQ+ community's journey of resilience, resistance, and pride. It all began in June 1969, with the Stonewall Riots in New York City. After yet another police raid at the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in Greenwich Village, queer people—many of them trans women of color—decided they had had enough. What followed was not just a protest, but a spark that lit the fire of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement.

Back then, society was not just unwelcoming—it was actively hostile. Being queer was criminalized, pathologized, and silenced. So when people marched in those first Pride parades, it wasn’t about celebration—it was about survival, visibility, and demanding space in a world that refused to see them. Those early Pride marches were revolutionary acts of courage and defiance.

Today, Pride continues to matter deeply. It’s a reminder of how far we've come—but also of the work still left to do. Many LGBTQ+ people around the world still face violence, discrimination, and legal inequality. Pride gives people a chance to be seen and heard, to live authentically, and to stand in solidarity with one another. It’s also a chance for allies to learn, reflect, and amplify voices that are too often ignored.

But in recent years, Pride has also been co-opted in ways that feel hollow. Corporations slap rainbows on their logos every June, run flashy ad campaigns, and sell rainbow-themed merchandise—all while ignoring anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, mistreating queer employees, or contributing nothing to the community. This trend, often called “rainbow capitalism” or “pinkwashing,” waters down the radical spirit of Pride. Many businesses profit from Pride merchandise and campaigns without contributing to LGBTQ+ causes or addressing discriminatory practices within their own organizations. It turns something deeply meaningful into just another marketing season.

One of the most controversial examples of pinkwashing occurred in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, particularly regarding the Gaza Strip. The Israeli government has often showcased its progressive stance on LGBTQ+ rights as proof of its modern, democratic values—especially when compared to its portrayal of Palestinian society. This has been criticized as an attempt to "pinkwash" Israel's image internationally, diverting attention from its policies and actions in the occupied Palestinian territories, including military occupation, human rights violations, and systemic oppression. Critics argue that using LGBTQ+ rights as a public relations tool in this context instrumentalizes queer identities to justify or distract from political violence and occupation, rather than advancing true equality.

Using LGBTQ+ rights to polish an international image while denying others basic human rights isn't true allyship—it’s manipulation.

True support for queer communities can’t be selective. It has to be intersectional—it must stand for justice for all marginalized people. Pride started as a protest, and it still holds that fire. It’s a time for joy, yes, but also for resistance, truth-telling, and real action. Pride shouldn’t just be a moment—it should be a movement.