POV: Celebrating Pride Month Amidst a Context of Gains and Setbacks for LGBTQIA+ Rights
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POV: Celebrating Pride Month Amidst a Context of Gains and Setbacks for LGBTQIA+ Rights
We need to recognize the challenges the community still faces
I have long felt that public health is more than a series of policies and proscriptions against disease. It is also a celebration of community; of mutual respect and care; of the love and connections that support a rich, full life; of the diversity that makes our world a better, more varied place; and of the progress that advances a healthier status quo. This is what we celebrate each June, as we mark the arrival of Pride Month. Pride Month is a time for celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community; for acknowledging the many contributions of our LGBTQIA+ friends, family, students, and colleagues; for marking progress towards the full acceptance of this community; and for recognizing the challenges it still faces.
In 2015, the US Supreme Court, in Obergefell v. Hodges, guaranteed the right of same-sex couples to marry. Last year, President Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act, codifying into law this fundamental right. From an historical perspective, this marked a rapid shift from a status quo that denied the basic human rights of same-sex couples to one that has begun to support them, however imperfectly. Just a little over a decade ago, the prospect of federally recognized marriage equality seemed far off, with even some of its eventual supporters, such as President Obama, initially opposing it. Then—happily, seemingly suddenly—it became the law of the land.
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Acknowledgement: I am grateful to Eric DelGizzo, media engagement associate at SPH for his contributions to this POV.
Sandro Galea is dean and Robert A. Knox Professor at Boston University’s School of Public Health. He can be reached at sgalea@bu.edu.
“POV” is an opinion page that provides timely commentaries from students, faculty, and staff on a variety of issues: on-campus, local, state, national, or international. Anyone interested in submitting a piece, which should be about 700 words long, should contact John O’Rourke at orourkej@bu.edu. BU Today reserves the right to reject or edit submissions. The views expressed are solely those of the author and are not intended to represent the views of Boston University.
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