Author: Read with Pride

readwithpride.com Behind the gilded doors of the Vatican, beneath centuries of sacred vows and whispered prayers, a secret thrived. For as long as the Catholic Church has existed, gay men have walked its marble halls, celebrated its masses, and shaped its theology. But in 1961, the institution decided it had seen enough. What unfolded was …

The 1961 Purge: The Vatican’s War on Secret LivesRead More

readwithpride.com Let’s talk about Pope John XII, a man who turned the Vatican into what contemporaries described as a literal brothel. Yes, you read that right. The 10th century gave us a pontiff so scandalous that even by medieval standards, people were clutching their pearls. The Boy Who Would Be Pope Born Octavian somewhere between …

The Sinner Pope: The Wild Nights of John XIIRead More

readwithpride.com Picture this: It’s 1974, just five years after Stonewall, and the LGBTQ+ community is still finding its footing in a world that largely wants them invisible. Most people are still deeply closeted, discretion is the name of the game, and the idea of openly celebrating queer identity in public? Absolutely radical. Now imagine boarding …

Sailing into Freedom: The Magic of the First Gay CruiseRead More

readwithpride.com There are moments in history that shimmer with a kind of magic: when something so simple becomes something so profound that it changes everything. June 25, 1978, was one of those days. The San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade was underway, and among the crowds, the chants, and the celebration, something new caught the …

Colors of the Heart: When the Rainbow Flag First FlewRead More

readwithpride.com Picture this: It’s August 1982 in San Francisco. The city is buzzing with energy, and over 1,350 athletes from more than 170 cities around the world are about to make history. Not by breaking world records or winning gold medals, though plenty of those happened too, but by simply showing up. By being visible. …

Going for Gold: The Triumph of the First Gay GamesRead More

readwithpride.com When you think about the 1970s disco scene, what comes to mind? Glitter balls? Platform shoes? Donna Summer’s voice soaring over a pulsing bassline? Sure, all of that. But for the gay community, the disco dance floor was something far more profound: it was sanctuary, liberation, and home all rolled into one sweaty, spectacular …

Disco Sanctuary: The Joy of the 70s Dance FloorRead More

readwithpride.com There are moments in history that shift everything. Moments when the world finally catches up to what love has always known to be true. For LGBTQ+ couples, the legal right to adopt children stands as one of those beautiful, hard-won victories, a recognition that family isn’t just about biology, it’s about commitment, care, and …

Chosen Families: The Joy of Legal Same-Sex AdoptionRead More

readwithpride.com Every May, something magical happens. Across the globe, millions of LGBTQ+ people gather around screens, in bars, living rooms, and watch parties, to witness what can only be described as the queerest night on television. The Eurovision Song Contest isn’t just a music competition. It’s become our unofficial holiday, our Super Bowl, our collective …

Europop and Pride: Why Eurovision is Our Ultimate CelebrationRead More

readwithpride.com There are moments in history when you can literally feel the weight lift. When a generation collectively exhales after holding their breath for far too long. The repeal of Section 28 was one of those moments, a legislative victory that meant so much more than just words on paper. It was about reclaiming voices, …

Voices Unsilenced: The Joy of Repealing Section 28Read More

readwithpride.com Picture this: It’s 1996. You’re sitting in front of a chunky beige computer, waiting for your dial-up modem to screech its way onto the internet. Your parents think you’re researching for school. You’re actually about to meet someone who might change your life. For queer people in the 1990s, the internet wasn’t just a …

You’ve Got Love: The First Digital Romances of the 90sRead More

readwithpride.com For decades, queer audiences knew the drill: fall in love with a character who finally gets to be themselves, watch them find happiness, and then brace yourself for the inevitable tragedy. The “bury your gays” trope wasn’t just a storytelling pattern, it was practically a genre requirement. But somewhere between the 2010s and now, …

The Happy Ending: When Queer Stories Finally Found Their JoyRead More

readwithpride.com Picture this: June 26, 2009, Toronto. A small group expects maybe ten people to show up for something that’s never been done before. Instead, over 1,500 people flood the streets, marching from Bloor and Church to Church and Wellesley. The air is electric with joy, defiance, and something that had been missing for too …

Total Inclusion: The Joy of the First Trans Pride MarchesRead More

readwithpride.com There are stories we need to tell, even when they hurt. Especially when they hurt. Because forgetting the darkest chapters of our history means risking their repetition, and dishonoring those who suffered through them. The pink triangle is now a symbol of pride, resistance, and visibility. You’ve probably seen it on pride flags, activist …

The Pink Triangle: LGBTQ+ Victims of the HolocaustRead More

readwithpride.com While most people have heard of McCarthyism and the Red Scare, there’s a parallel chapter of American history that’s been quietly swept under the rug for decades. It’s called the Lavender Scare, and it destroyed thousands of lives in the name of “national security.” This wasn’t just discrimination: it was a systematic, government-sanctioned witch …

The Lavender Scare: Fear and Betrayal in WashingtonRead More

readwithpride.com There are moments in LGBTQ+ history that changed everything. The early AIDS crisis of the 1980s wasn’t just a moment: it was a decade of devastating loss, government silence, and a community forced to save itself while the world looked away. When the Dying Began June 1981. The CDC received an alert about five …

The Early AIDS Crisis: A Decade of Loss and InactionRead More

readwithpride.com Some tragedies are too painful to remember. Others are deliberately forgotten. The UpStairs Lounge fire falls into both categories: a horror that should have shaken the nation but was instead buried under layers of homophobia, shame, and silence. On June 24, 1973, thirty-two people burned to death in a gay bar in New Orleans. …

The UpStairs Lounge Fire: New Orleans’ Forgotten TragedyRead More

readwithpride.com Imagine going to school and being bullied for being different, for liking someone of the same gender, and when you turn to a teacher for help, they literally can’t talk to you about it. They’re not allowed. By law. That was the reality for an entire generation of LGBTQ+ young people in the UK, …

Section 28: When the UK Tried to Silence Queer LifeRead More

readwithpride.com There are moments in history when everything changes. When a single act of violence sends shockwaves through a community so powerful that the reverberations are still felt decades later. November 27, 1978, was one of those days: the day San Francisco lost not just a politician, but a symbol of hope, courage, and the …

The Night the Lights Went Out: The Assassination of Harvey MilkRead More

readwithpride.com Some stories are so painful that they change the world. The murder of Matthew Shepard on a freezing October night in Wyoming became one of those moments: a tragedy that forced America to confront the deadly reality of anti-LGBTQ+ violence and ultimately transformed hate crime legislation forever. A Night That Changed Everything October 6, …

A Cold Night in Laramie: The Legacy of Matthew ShepardRead More

readwithpride.com There are places in our community that become more than just venues. They transform into sanctuaries: spaces where we can let our guard down, be unapologetically ourselves, and celebrate the beautiful chaos of queer life. Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida was one of those places. Until June 12, 2016, when a night of joy …

Pulse: A Night of Celebration Turned to SorrowRead More