Taking pride from our history
Oban Pride chairman Phill Dexter takes a look at the origins of the movement in the first of a series of weekly articles to celebrate Pride History Month.
Oban Pride held its inaugural event in 2019, which was a significant year for the LGBTQ+ community throughout the world.
Although we were holding our first Pride march, the events began in 1970 following the Stonewall riots of 1969, which many say were the start of the modern day Pride movement.
The Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, New York, catered for an assortment of patrons, including gay men, lesbians, transgender people, sex workers, drag queens and homeless youths. These people faced discrimination and an anti-gay law system. Many establishments would not allow these people in but the Stonewall Inn would, which is why many gathered there.
Following a series of police raids on the inn, which included many beatings and arrests of the patrons, the Stonewall, as well as others in nearby bars and in the nearby area, stood up for themselves and the LGBTQ+ community and started fighting back against the police.
These riots started on June 28 1969 and occurred over several nights. The first Pride marches took place in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles in 1970. The first official Pride in the UK was held in London in 1972 and the first official Pride in Scotland was held in Edinburgh in 1995.
In 2019 there were 22 Prides held in Scotland and we were delighted to hold our first Pride in Oban in 2019, marking 50 years since the Stonewall riots.
We felt so welcome in Oban with our first Pride march and event.
The spirit throughout the community was amazing and we could not have been more pleased with how peaceful the day was.
Unlike the Stonewall riots where people were beaten and arrested for being LGBTQ+, we had a peaceful day full of love and respect - a true sign of how far the LGBTQ+ Pride movement has come.