(Spokane, WA) – For the month of June, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington (EDWA) will honor the vast contributions and important history of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer community during LGBTQ+ Pride Month.
The first presidential proclamation recognizing Pride Month occurred in 1999. On January 20, 2021, President Biden issued Executive Order 13988, directing the heads of every federal agency to take steps to prevent and combat discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, both in the federal government itself and in its enforcement of anti-discrimination laws such as Title VII.
“The enforcement and defense of civil rights for everyone is at the core of the Justice Department’s mission. My office is committed to protecting the rights of all individuals to live free from discrimination and persecution based on who they are or whom they love,” stated U.S. Attorney Waldref. “The members of the LGBTQ+ community are our families, friends, neighbors, and co-workers. We recognize their past struggles to receive equal treatment under the law and will support and defend their efforts to secure justice now and in the future.
In 1969, after a police raid on the Stonewall Inn in New York City, members of the LGBTQ+ community engaged in several days of protest of discrimination against LGBTQ+ people. The following year, activists organized the first annual Pride March on June 28, 1970, a several-thousand-person march from the Stonewall Inn to Central Park commemorating the riots and protesting discrimination against LGBTQ+ people. Although not the first demonstration against LGBTQ+ discrimination, that Pride March marked the beginning of the galvanizing force that became a national civil rights movement to demand equal rights and protections for LGBTQ+ citizens under the law, ultimately culminating in the creation of the first gay pride parades in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, and San Francisco. Since 1970, the LGBTQ+ community has celebrated every June as Pride Month and held annual Pride Marches in a growing number of cities, including internationally.
On June 8, 2024, Members of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington joined with hundreds of others by marching in the Spokane Pride Parade. U.S. Attorney Waldref added, “This was the first time my office joined to march in the Spokane Pride Parade. It is an honor to lead an office committed to enforcing civil rights and ensuring liberty and justice for all.”