Celebrating Pride: Google doodle takes you through LGBT history

It's Pride month, and with 2019 the 50th anniversary of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender identities, often collectively known as Gay Pride or LGBT Pride, communities across the world are celebrating the eventful month.

Today's Google doodle celebrates 50 years of Pride with an interactive video, by taking us through five decades of Pride history-all told through the lens of a growing, evolving, and international Pride parade!

Below, Doodler Nate Swinehart shares more on the making-of today's Doodle, as well as what the project means to him.

The Pride Parade is a symbol of celebration and liberation for the entire LGBTQ+ community. From its early days of activism on Christopher Street in New York City, to the worldwide celebrations of today, it has empowered and given voice to a bright and vibrant community. Doodler Nate Swinehart shares more on the making of Doodle for May 6 including what the project is meant to him.

The 1969 riots began at the Stonewall Inn, a bar on Christopher Street in Manhattan. Disputes exist in the LGBTQ community about how exactly the riots began, but it is agreed that they were the result of police raiding the bar for activity then considered criminal.

The month of June was chosen for LGBT Pride Month to commemorate the Stonewall riots, which occurred at the end of June 1969. As a result, many pride events are held during this month to recognize the impact LGBT people have had in the world.

Brenda Howard is known as the "Mother of Pride", for her work in coordinating the first LGBT Pride march, and she also originated the idea for a week-long series of events around Pride Day which became the genesis of the annual LGBT Pride celebrations that are now held around the world every June.

Additionally, Howard along with fellow LGBT rights activists Robert A. Martin (aka Donny the Punk) and L. Craig Schoonmakerare credited with popularizing the word "Pride" to describe these festivities. As LGBT rights activist Tom Limoncelli put it, "The next time someone asks you why LGBT Pride marches exist or why [LGBT] Pride Month is June tell them 'A bisexual woman named Brenda Howard thought it should be.'"

Two Presidents of the United States have officially declared a Pride Month. First, President Bill Clinton declared June "Gay & Lesbian Pride Month" in 1999 and 2000. Then from 2009 to 2016, each year he was in office, President Barack Obama declared June LGBT Pride Month.

Donald Trump became the first Republican president to acknowledge LGBT Pride Month in 2019, but he did so through tweeting rather than an official proclamation.

Beginning in 2012, Google displayed some LGBT-related search results with different rainbow-colored patterns each year during June.

In 2017, Google also included rainbow coloured streets on Google Maps to display Gay Pride marches occurring across the world.