Each June, PRIDE month is celebrated throughout the U.S. and across the globe.
PRIDE, which has become a worldwide recognized acronym of the California-based organization Personal Rights in Defense and Education, began fighting for equal rights in 1966 for LGBTQ+ people.
PRIDE has since evolved into numerous meanings for individuals and their families advocating for fundamental human rights.
Last year, President Buu Nygren signed a proclamation declaring the third week in June as Navajo Nation Pride Week. He was joined by the Speaker of the Nation, Crystalyne Curley, uniting the legislative and executive branches to take a firm stance in supporting our Diné relatives on and off Diné Bikeyah.
Executive Director of Diné Equality, an Indigenous LGBTQ+ Organization founded by Alray Nelson, also the executive director of Navajo Nation PRIDE.
Nelson has been a devoted advocate who understands the ebb and flows that LGBTQ+ individuals balance and endure from being bullied, denied employment, and mental, physical, and psychological abuse as an openly LGBTQ+ and leads the organization from a perspective of educating the public, offering outlets of support and resources for the LGBTQ+ communities and their families.
Commissioner of the Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission, Dr. Jennifer Denetdale, stated on the Navajo Nation PRIDE website that “Diné teachings tell us that both sexes are important to the survival & perpetuation of our people. At one time, our people also acknowledged a third or multiple genders in our society— who are often called the nádleehí. The imposition of modern democracy has led to our loss of memory about the inclusion of women & our LGBTQ relatives in nation-building.”
Navajo Diné PRIDE will host their annual PRIDE Festival and Marketon Saturday, June 29, 2024, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.at Window Rock Veterans Memorial Park.
