Pride Month has been celebrated in the United States since 1970. Across the world, the celebration continues to gain ground. It’s celebrated in more countries every year at various times. In 2021, embassies in the UAE flew rainbow flags in celebration of Pride month. We love vintage holidays and we definitely love vintage pride.
The history of Pride Month, however, is not one of celebration but of protest. Known as the Stonewall Riots or Christopher Street Liberation Day, it all began one late night in 1969 when police raided the Stonewall Inn in Manhattan. Run by the mafia due to the fact that gay bars were illegal at the time, the Stonewall Inn was a refuge for LBGTQ people at the time who could not otherwise socialize comfortably in public.
The rainbow flag, now a symbol of LBGTQ pride, was originally designed and created in 1978 by artist Gilbert Baker to fly in the San Francisco Pride parade. The original flag had eight colors meant to depict sex, life, healing, sunlight, nature, magic, serenity, and spirit. The current flag now has six stripes, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. Versions of the rainbow flag can be found all over the world in different variations, with various meanings.
So what does all this have to do with selling and collecting vintage?
Vintage is history and so is Pride. Each year as folks celebrate the freedom to love whomever they choose and live their lives true to themselves, we add to and create historic moments. Just as we pass down our stories of familial achievements, we pass down our values. Who we are and what we stand for are reflected in the items we choose to collect and cherish. For some families, that might be the rainbow headscarf Gramma wore to her first Pride march. It’s all part of our shared history.
Vintage Pride::
