By Maile Alexander
Social Media Intern for the Institute for Sustainable Diversity and Inclusion.
Pride Month: Celebration and Remembrance
The month of June holds nothing short of fun and excitement. It’s a month where many of us finish up the school year, begin internships or jobs, enjoy the sunshine, and make new summer plans. Yet, June is also a month of both celebration and remembrance.
On June 28, 1969, the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City, was raided by police. The result was several days of protests and resistance that became a turning point for the LGBTQ+ rights movement and later inspired what we now recognize as Pride Month.
Despite progress over the last 57 years, LGBTQ+ individuals continue to experience discrimination and inequality today.
This is particularly true for transgender and gender non-conforming individuals, who continue to face disproportionate barriers to safety and higher rates of violence.
Juniper Blessing is one example. Juniper, born on September 22, 2007, in Princeton, New Jersey, was a 19-year-old transgender woman studying atmospheric science with minors in music and philosophy at the University of Washington in Seattle. She had dreams, plans, and many more years ahead of her until her life was tragically taken in a fatal stabbing on May 10, 2026, in the laundry room of Nordheim Court near the University of Washington campus. Do we know if this was a hate crime, a targeted attack, or just a crime of opportunity? The authorities have not publicly identified the attack as a hate crime.
As a recent graduate from the University of Washington, this story hits close to home. Many students on campus expressed fear, grief, and frustration. LGBTQ+ students were and still are outraged that murders such as this continue to happen. Are most people aware that there have been six confirmed murders of transgender people in the United States just in the first five months of 2026? Probably, most of us are not.
SAY HER NAME.
Juniper Blessing is more than a headline. She was remembered by friends, classmates, and loved ones as thoughtful, talented, and deeply cared for. Her life mattered, and LGBTQ+ lives matter.
Pride Month not only requires us to honor and acknowledge wonderful lives such as Juniper Blessing’s, but reminds us that every month should be spent honoring, celebrating, protecting, and remembering LGBTQ+ individuals—those who have passed and those who are still with us.
As stated, June is also a month of both celebration and remembrance, particularly through Pride parades and Pride Month. This continues to feel threatened, especially this year. As reported by AP News, multiple Republican governors have designated June with alternative names such as “Nuclear Family Month,” which supporters and critics alike have viewed as counterprogramming to Pride Month.
I have seen examples of this here in Washington as well, such as billboards in the town of Snohomish stating, “Happy Life Month”—highlighting the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the promotion of pro-life views.
June is set aside to celebrate Pride Month; however, this year has been particularly contentious.
Pride continues to be debated publicly and politically, but Pride itself remains rooted in visibility, celebration, and community.
A quote in an AP News article sums up the sentiments of the community, “As LGBTQIA+ events and symbols are being erased, it’s vital that our community have safe spaces to show up and march to make clear: We are here,” Chris Piedmont, a spokesperson for New York parade organizers Heritage of Pride, said in a statement Friday. “We will not be erased.” (June 29, 2026)
Happy Pride Month, and at the same time, be aware!
Source: “Parades in NYC and San Francisco Wrap Up LGBTQ+ Pride Month,” by Jennifer Peltz and David Fischer, AP News online, June 29, 2026: https://apnews.com/article/lgbtq-pride-parades-new-york-san-francisco-c2301920c8f656a7ee231e49ff5a08a9
Maile Alexander is Social Media Intern for the Institute for Sustainable Diversity and Inclusion.
We can’t wait to see you at the next workshop.
Until then, please share this post with anyone you think would be interested.
LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Bluesky Threads
