On the 51st Anniversary of the Stonewall Rights, LULAC Honors Pride Month

In the Pride Month of June, established some 40 years ago to commemorate the birth of the LGBTQ+ Movement with the riots and protests at New York’s Stonewall Inn and San Francisco’s Compton’s Cafeteria, we find ourselves reflecting on the unfinished struggle for fundamental rights at the 51st Anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. It is important to celebrate & honor trailblazers like Marsha P. Johnson, a Black Transwoman, and Sylvia Rivera, a Puerto Rican-Venezuelan Transgender Woman, two powerful activists, who used their voices to say enough with harassment, violence and police brutality and rallied the LGBTQIA+ community and their allies for LGBTQ+ visibility, respect and equality.

“LULAC urges everyone to remember that Pride began as a struggle against an unjust system that condemned a group of people because of who they are as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer, or by who they love or by how they present to the world. Social change cannot be accomplished without brave people demanding humanity for all within and beyond our Latino comunidad,” said Maria Salazar, Chair of the LULAC LGBTQ Committee.

LULAC rejects the homophobia and transphobia which still plagues our society, particularly at this moment of national social unrest. We stand against the violence on LGBTQ bodies and the attacks on equal opportunities and protections of LGBTQ lives. Together, we must fight against injustice in all its forms and manifestations. We are firmly committed to being an active and loving ally by centering the stories and voices of our LGBTQ familia in the struggle for human dignity.

“And especially to our LULAC Latinx Queer members,” said Domingo Garcia, LULAC National President, “We see you. We embrace you. We hear you. In our community, you are loved. We honor your contributions to the LGBTQ movement. We stand with you in the fight for visibility, respect and equality.”

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About LULAC
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is the nation’s largest and oldest civil rights volunteer-based organization that empowers Hispanic Americans and builds strong Latino communities. Headquartered in Washington, DC, with 1,000 councils around the United States and Puerto Rico, LULAC’s programs, services and advocacy address the most important issues for Latinos, meeting critical needs of today and the future. For more information, visit www.LULAC.org.