There’s a certain magic about the month of June. It’s the entree to summer, long, sunny days and, in many cities across the globe, it’s a time to celebrate love in all its iterations.
Pride Month, a 30-day celebration of the impact the LGBT community has had on the world, as well as the struggles it has faced and continues to face, is marked by an array of events, festivals, parades and of course, cheerful rainbow flags. But its history, like that of many other marginalized groups, isn’t so cheery.
READ MORE: 72 countries still criminalize LGBT relationships: report
The rise of LGBT rights is largely attributed to the Stonewall Riots of 1969 in New York and the “Operation Soap” Bathhouse Raids in Toronto in the early 1980s.
Both events saw the gay community fight back against police discrimination and served as catalysts for the LGBT movement. They are credited with leading to monumental changes, like the decriminalization of homosexuality and its declassification as a mental illness, as well as sparking countless Pride parades across North America, giving a voice and a platform to members of the community.
A number of countries around the world still consider homosexuality a crime (72, to be precise, and some uphold the death penalty for those convicted of the crime), and even in those where there are no legal stipulations, hate crimes persist.
Despite this, the community has proven to be resilient and defiant in the face of adversity. In celebration of the start of another Pride Month, we’ve compiled a gallery of pictures of celebrations from around the world that prove love is love, no matter what.
Havana, Cuba
Tokyo, Japan
Salerno, Italy
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Belgrade, Serbia
St. Petersburg, Russia
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Berlin, Germany
London, England