Stonewall Riots Sparked the First Gay Pride March

Millions worldwide commemorate this event every June

First-ever Gay Pride in Greenwich Village, NYCLibrary of Congress

Some 1,500 openly LGBTQ+ members work in American federal agencies.

The real numbers are probably higher because the social stigma is still strong for sexual minorities. However, these numbers are a sign of progress and a clear signal that individual groups were always an essential part of American society.

The question of gay rights and dignity is still far from being resolved. Most of the discriminatory culture, policy, and laws are a colonial heritage left by the British Empire. Putting Gay Rights in plain numbers clearly demonstrates the glaring problem the LGBTQ+ population faces every day.

• Only 29 countries legally allow same-sex marriage.
• 69 countries criminalize homosexuality. (I’d love to joke about the number, but it’s not funny.)
• 34 UN countries have prosecuted gay people recently.
• 36 Commonwealth countries criminalize homosexuality.
• 8 countries have imposed capital punishment, mainly in Africa and Muslim countries that abide by Sharia law.

Capital punishment has recently been recognized as a form of genocide, but this perception is young and fragile. That’s…