June 2021 marks the 51st anniversary of Pride Month. Every year, since 1969, during the month of June, the LGBTQIA+ community celebrates in various ways from parades and festivals to events and public speaking. More than a celebration, Pride Month provides the opportunity to bring awareness to important issues the community is facing.
What is Pride Month and why does it take place in June?
On an early morning of June 28, 1969, in Manhattan, New York, the Stonewall Inn was raided by the police. Greenwich Village was an area known to be home to sizeable gay and lesbian populations. Gay bars being illegal in the 1950s and 60s, very few places welcomed gay people and those which did were often run by organized crime groups. The Stonewall Inn, for one, was owned by the Mafia. Such bars were routinely raided. However, violence escalated during the Stonewall Raid and sparked a wave of protests several evenings in a row. The protests led to the formation of organized activist groups, calling for the creation of places where they could embrace their sexual orientation without fear. The riots served as a catalyst for the LGBT liberation movement in the United States.
As a celebration of the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, Brenda Howard organized the first Pride March in New York, which soon became a yearly event. Pride is now celebrated across the United States, but also throughout the world every year.
How does 4649.REC celebrate Pride Month?
56% of people between 13 and 20 and 43% of people between 28 and 34 stated that they knew someone who uses gender neutral pronouns. 4649.REC stands for sincerity, harmony and respect. We hope to bring people together one garment at a time. We stand for diversity and inclusiveness, authenticity with one’s self and respect to all.
All our pieces are gender free and have a unisex fit, as we believe being authentic to oneself involves feeling free to transgress the gender conventions in fashion. Find a piece that resonates with you or guide us on how to create it for you.
How can you embrace Pride Month by experimenting with gender neutral clothing?
Unisex and non-binary clothing strive to challenge gender norms. Looking to adopt a more gender neutral closet and transgress the boundaries through fashion? You can personalize your clothing to push back boundaries and achieve your ideal, authentic look through up-cycling and customization of all sorts (dyeing, embroidery, tailoring..). Let us help you experiment with a wide range of colors and patterns, using upcycled kimono fabrics – they are full of colours and nature themed prints which speak to us all.
Overall, despite the progress which has already been made, we must continue to increase awareness and support inclusiveness. In some places like Japan, LGBTIQ+ people are still not protected from discrimination by the law. This June the LGBT Equality Act should be adopted. However, it is contested by LGBTIQ+ advocacy groups who denounce the lack of enforceable protections contained in the bill, which only requires an “understanding of LGBT people”. More generally, as a result of discrimination, homophobia and transphobia and the rejection which may be experienced after coming out, individuals in the LGBTIQ+ community are at increased risk of mental health problems such as depression, self-harm and substance abuse. A study by Stonewall underlined that, in the UK, ⅛ LGBTIQ+ people between 18 and 24 and half of trans people attempted to take their life. Committed to inclusion and wellbeing for all, 4649.REC donates a portion of its proceeds to mental health Mind.