Pride & Joy
With the arrival of June, Pride season begins—a season of uplifting LGBTQ voices and culture. As vaccines roll out in masses, across the country we finally can look forward to bottomless bottles of pink bubbles and a series of exuberant celebrations.
Pride is a place for the Queer community to express themselves and feel free within society. To understand and enjoy Pride, the only thing you need to do is be authentically yourself, and allow others the same freedom to do so. We carry the idea that whether you are decked-out in a leather harness, blue jeans and a polo, or a giant rainbow muumuu, who you are is exactly enough. All the weird, wild, and wonderful bits should be recognized and, of course, celebrated!
Everyone is uniquely created, and what a beautiful thing to celebrate. You and those that you love and hold dear are worthy of joy and deserve to be proud. Indulge in sharing your luxuries, and be generous with your compassion and joy because love is always worth celebrating.
And celebrate we will! Let’s take a look back at how it all started, and what makes Pride month so important.
Origins of Pride
Gay Americans in the 1950s and 1960s faced an anti-gay legal system and a heavy influx of anti-gay sentiments. New York City in 1969 in some ways was a sanctuary for the LGBTQ community, but it was still illegal to be gay and to wear clothing that wasn’t appropriated to your gender. Even though this was home for many in the queer community, they were still living in a world that continued to marginalize and harass them.
Mafia-owned bars and restaurants at the fringes of society were some of the only places where queer people could gather semi-publicly. Locals such as the Stonewall Inn also risked losing their licenses if caught serving drinks to gays. Police raids at gay bars became routine during this time and the arrests and disruption continued in the name of controlling what was considered socially deviant behavior.
When there is no space to exist, sometimes the only recourse for the oppressed is to make space. On June 28, 1969, they did just that.
A shot glass was thrown at a mirror, bricks were heaved through windows, and large numbers of Stonewall Inn patrons and neighbors in Manhattan’s East Village joined in. It became known as The Stonewall Riots—widely considered to be one of the most influential moments in the gay liberation movement and the twentieth century fight for LGBTQ rights.
This grassroots movement began to grow and people from all walks of life were brought together by one common link, their queerness. Structurally speaking, the gay community intersectionally reaches across humanity on all levels. This fight for queerness has also always been the inclusive fight for ableism, body positivity, ageism, sexism, racism, and classism.
LGBTQ activist, Marsha P. Johnson, is quoted to have said, “How many years has it taken people to realize that we are all brothers and sisters and human beings in the human race?” The more we understand about each other and who we are as people, the more we can recognize what we have in common, and that equality means unity.
It has not always been easy to gather, to walk into a store and buy a bottle of bubbles, or to pour each other a glass. Everytime you celebrate these small but mighty victories is an opportunity to pay homage to those who have led the way.
Always–but this month in particular–fatcork celebrates the magic souls who have fought to change the world and those who are still fighting for equality. As we move forward we acknowledge all the work there is still left to do.
Fatcork is about celebrating life and bringing people together. Champagne is a vehicle of marking, honoring, and creating moments of unique happiness, utter joy, commemoration, and sweet sorrows.
So, cheers to all who are different, and raise a glass to all those that dare to be themselves.
Peace & Love,
Team fatcork