June marks the 51st celebration of Pride Month. A time when millions of people come together in support of the LGBTQ community. It began on the 1st of June and will end on the 30th of June.
So here’s what you can do to celebrate PRIDE MONTH:
TOP LGBTQ SONGS TO LISTEN
“TRUE COLOURS” by Cyndi Lauper
Inspiring anthem of love that has taken special meaning in the LGBTQ community. “So don’t be afraid to let them show, Your true colors are beautiful like a rainbow”
“BORN THIS WAY” by Lady Gaga
LGBTQ icon who’s bisexual herself. “No matter gay, straight or bi / Lesbian, transgendered life, I’m on the right track, baby, I was born to survive”
"SAME LOVE" by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (ft. Mary Lambert)
This hit track from hip hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis features Mary Lambert, an openly lesbian artist. "And I can't change, Even if I tried, Even if I wanted to."
“HIM” by Sam Smith
This slow ballad from gay singer Sam Smith follows a man coming out and professing that sexuality should be accepted, period.“Don’t you try and tell me that God doesn’t care for us , It is him I love, it is him I love.”
"FOLLOW YOUR ARROW" by Kacey Musgraves
Add a little country to your Pride party with this empowering line: "Say what you feel, love who you love, Cause you just get so many trips 'round the sun."
TOP LGBTQ MOVIES TO WATCH
PRINCESA (2001)
"Princesa" is the story of Fernanda, a 19-year-old Brazilian transsexual whose dream is to become a woman, find a husband, and lead the life of a "normal" housewife.
WILD REEDS (1994)
At a boarding school in the south of France, the timid student discovers his latent homosexuality when he enters into an erotic relationship with a farm boy. A bizarre love triangle soon forms, paralleling the tumult of self-discovery that comes at the crossroads between youth and adulthood.
THE BOYS IN THE BAND (2020)
The Boys in the Band is based on the 1968 off-Broadway production of the same name from the late Mart Crowley. When first released, the show made waves in LGBTQ+ and mainstream culture for its authentic depiction of the gay community.
Slide 6
DISCLOSURE (2020)
Disclosure explores Hollywood’s depiction of transgender people and the impact of their stories on transgender lives and American culture.
YOUR NAME ENGRAVED HEREIN
Set in 1988, two young men who have survived martial law in Taiwan discover that they are in love. But they don’t act on it for fear of pressure from their respective families and outright homophobia. The movie was actually inspired by real events. The fact that Taiwan was the first Asian country to legalize gay marriage makes this an important film for the LGBTQ community.
TOP LGBTQ BOOKS TO READ
“GIOVANNI’S ROOM” by James Baldwin
Set in 1950s Paris, an American falls for an Italian bartender after having proposed to a young woman in an effort to live a conventional life. GIOVANNI’S ROOM was controversial in its time but stands today as one of the greatest treatments of sexual identity.
“THE PRICE OF SALT” by Patricia Highsmith
THE PRINCE SALT is the story of Therese Belivet, a stage designer in a dead-end department store job who falls for Carol Aird, an alluring suburban housewife in the midst of a divorce. The two fall in love and set out across the US.
“THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY” by Oscar Wilde
This novel might not be overtly gay, but enough subtext like Dorian’s best friends’ admiration for his beauty and Basil’s clearly homoerotic feelings for Dorian was stricken by an editor from the original manuscript. Even the originally published novel made reference to Dorian’s corruption of both young men and young women.
“STONE BUTCH BLUES” by Leslie Feinberg
Jess Goldberg, a butch working-class lesbian, forges ahead in life while trying to form an identity in the midst of heart-rending violence against her for daring to be herself. Published in 1993, Feinberg is known more for her activism, but this book is a landmark novel about the refusal to fit into a gender box.
“THE LINE OF BEAUTY” by Alan Hollinghurst
THE LINE OF BEAUTY flawlessly recreates the British upper-class society and conservative political circles. It covers the sexual hypocrisies of homophobic politicians, many of whom have indiscretions behind closed doors.
TOP LGBTQ SHOWS TO WATCH
BETTY (hbo/hbo max)
ELITE (netflix)
EMPIRE (hulu)
EUPHORIA (hbo/hbo max)
LEGENDS OF TOMORROW (netflix)
Today’s Pride has evolved into a hypervisible month-long celebration across different parts of the world. HAPPY PRIDE MONTH!!!!
Contributor - Antra Pandey
Graphics - Hafsa
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