The month of June saw many celebrations of pride within the community. It is a month that recognizes efforts by individuals and organizations to promote awareness and acceptance of individual sexual orientation and gender identity. This year several major corporations have recognized the rights of the LGBT individuals and attempted to promote acceptance of such individuals.
The Stonewall riots was a tipping point in the liberation movement in the United States in 1969. The riots started when the police of New York City attempted to raid a bar named the Stonewall Inn, and the patrons resisted. There was no activism nor any campaign planned, this was a reactionary moment to the oppressive actions by the police and the citizens were fed up at that point. There’s a famous slogan that spurred action by the patrons and onlookers that then participated, “This shit has got to stop!” Thus the last Sunday of June has been recognized as “Gay Pride Day,” although the day was flexible. It has grown since then to include many events that recognizes equality via parades, picnics, musical gatherings, and workshops. Per the Library of Congress, the month long event has attracted millions from around the world.
The month also recognizes people who were lost to hate crimes, AIDS/HIV, and so on. The Pride month was established by President Obama in 2009 to celebrate efforts by individuals to eliminate prevalent discrimination and to promote equality to all regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
In order to recognize and celebrate the Pride Month, a local Burger King in San Francisco had introduced a limited time edition gay pride burger. This burger was an ordinary whopper wrapped in a rainbow colored wrapper. The wrapper had an inscription that said “We are all the same inside.”
A senior vice president of global brand management of Burger King, Fernando Machado, had said it was a representation of how the company believes in “self-expression.” It is a great way to show support to a movement, especially during the Gay Pride Month. Many customers were seen to be deliberating whether it was the same burger as the original whopper. They were delighted to see that it was the same burger. Some had even pocketed the wrappers. Burger King is donating all Pride Whopper sales to the Burger King McLamore Foundation for scholarships benefiting LGBT high school seniors in the spring of 2015.
This is an amazing way to show support by a multinational corporation! Don’t be surprised if these memorable wrappers end up as collectibles on eBay soon. LGBT rights continue to face opposition and oppression to this day. The most notable oppression is the most recent Uganda Anti-Homosexuality bill. The country of Uganda had recently passed legislation that expressly forbids anyone in the country from aligning with the LGBT community, and is punishable by death. It is vital to continue to raise awareness and acceptance to reverse such oppressive tactics by governments and organizations.
