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On June 2, 2000, former President Bill Clinton declared that June would be recognized as Gay and Lesbian Pride Month to recognize the contributions LGBT people have made to the country, as well as the decades of discrimination that LGBTs have had to endure.

Statistics

·         In 2005, there were an estimated 8.8 million gay, lesbian and bisexual people living in the United States. (U.S. Census Bureau)

·         California, Florida, New York, Texas, Illinois, and Washington, D.C., have the largest gay, lesbian and bisexual populations. Among metropolitan areas, the highest number of gays, lesbians and bisexuals live in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco and Boston. (American Community Survey)

·         In 2005, there were 776,943 same-sex couples, an increase of more than 20 percent from 2000. (U.S. Census Bureau)

·         Twenty-four percent of same-sex couples are non-white versus 22 percent of married couples of opposite sex. (U.S. Census Bureau)

·         There are slightly more male same-sex couples (51 percent) than female same-sex couples (49 percent) in the United States. (U.S. Census Bureau)

·         Gay and lesbian parents are raising 4 percent of all adopted children in the United States. (U.S. Census, the National Survey of Family Growth, and the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System)

Symbols

·         The rainbow flag, an international symbol of lesbian and gay pride, was originated by San Francisco native Gilbert Baker in 1978. Baker would display the flag during gay-pride events. The six stripes of red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple are meant to represent the diversity and unity of the gay and lesbian community. (Gaycenter.org)

·         The pink triangle and black triangle--pride symbols used by some members of the LGBT community--originated during WW II as a way of identifying gay males (pink triangle) and lesbians, prostitutes and female dissidents (black triangle). Despite the history of these symbols, the LGBT community has taken back their meaning by regarding these as symbols of the pride and determination of the community. (Gaycenter.org)

Notable LGBT Individuals

Michael Patrick King
Emmy-award-winning director, writer and producer most famously known for his work on the "Sex and the City" series and movie. Michael Patrick King began his career in the 1980s as an aspiring actor and then went on to standup comedy and playwriting. His writing led him to Los Angeles where he wrote for the multiple Emmy-nominated television series "Murphy Brown." King did production on "Will and Grace," "The Comeback," and "Cybill."

Ellen DeGeneres
A standup comedian, actress and host of the syndicated talk show, "The Ellen DeGeneres Show." Ellen DeGeneres caused controversy in 1997 when she revealed on Oprah Winfrey's show that she was a lesbian. She later followed suit with her character on her sitcom "Ellen," making it the first show on a primetime network with a gay lead character. DeGeneres has since gone on to star in movies and as the voice of Dory in "Finding Nemo." In 2003, she launched "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," which has consistently risen in ratings since its debut. In 2006, she became the first openly gay or lesbian individual to host the Academy Awards.

Elton John
Legendary singer, songwriter, musician, and pianist; winner of five Grammy awards and recipient of the Grammy legend award in 2001. Elton John has composed music for the Tony Award-winning Broadway musicals "The Lion King" and "Aida," and for the film version of "The Lion King," which went on to win Best Original Song Academy Award for "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?" John has been inducted into the Rock 'N Roll Hall of Fame, received knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II, and received an honorary doctorate from the Royal Academy of Music, among other awards. John first revealed that he was bisexual in 1976 to Rolling Stone magazine, but after a four-year marriage to Renate Blauel that ended in divorce, he came out as gay. In 1993, John met filmmaker David Furnish, and they entered into a civil partnership in 2005. Despite his success, John has faced his share of demons. He has dealt with bulimia and several addictions: cocaine, painkillers and alcohol--many of which stemmed from his confusion with his sexuality, pressures from fame and losing many friends to AIDS. During the 1990s, John chose to make a dramatic change to his life by checking himself into rehab and launching the Elton John AIDS Foundation. The foundation focuses on raising money for HIV/AIDS prevention and awareness programs as well as eliminating the stigma associated with individuals who have HIV/AIDS.

James Baldwin
Born Aug. 6, 192 4, Baldwin was a Black novelist, writer, playwright, poet, essayist and civil-rights activist. Having lived during the height of the civil-rights movement, much of James Baldwin's work dealt with the double whammy of being both Black and gay. Baldwin created controversy in 1956 with his second novel, "Giovanni's Room," for its gay and non-Black characters. As a writer, Baldwin was passionate about not having his work put in a box and therefore experimented with a variety of literary styles. Following "Giovanni's Room," Baldwin continued to write novels that featured bisexual and gay characters. He also wrote many essays that discussed the prevalence of homophobia in America and within the Black community. Following his death in 1987, Toni Morrison went on to edit two volumes of Baldwin's essays and fiction pieces.

Tammy Baldwin
Since being elected to Congress in 1998, Tammy Baldwin has consistently broken barriers. She is the first woman to serve in the House of Representatives from Wisconsin and is the first openly gay person to be elected to Congress. Baldwin is an advocate for gay and women's rights, healthcare and the environment. She has helped to pass legislation for increased medical benefits for military members who lose their vision, hate-crimes legislation and the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA).

Aaron Fricke
A gay-rights activist who is best known for his victory in the revolutionary case Aaron Fricke v. Richard B. Lynch in which Aaron Fricke successfully sued Cumberland High School in Cumberland, R.I., for not allowing him to bring a male date to his prom. Fricke went on to write about his experiences in an autobiography, "Reflections of a Rock Lobster: A Story About Growing up Gay."

Dr. Franklin E. Kameny
Franklin Kameny fought for five years to regain his job after being fired in 1957 from his position as an astronomer at the Army Map Service due to his homosexuality. Inspired by his own misfortunes, Kameny cofounded, along with Jack Nichols, the Mattachine Society of Washington in 1961. The organization fought adamantly for numerous gay and lesbian civil rights, such as overturning sodomy laws and removing homosexuality from the American Psychiatric Association's list of mental disorders. On April 17, 1965, Kameny and the Mattachine Society of Washington led the first public gay and lesbian picket lines outside of the White House. In 1971, Kameny aggressively fought to become the first openly gay candidate to run for U.S. Congress. Although not elected, Kameny wanted to ensure that future LGBT politicians could secure a place in Congress and turned his campaign organization into the Gay and Lesbian Alliance of Washington, D.C., a nonprofit that fights for the civil rights of LGBTs. In 1975, Kameny was appointed commissioner of the D.C. Commission on Human Rights, making him the first openly gay municipal appointee. After spending most of his lifetime dedicated to fighting for LGBT rights, Kameny was inducted into the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History in 2007.

Matthew Shepard
A gay college student whose murder launched a campaign against all hate crimes. On Oct. 7, 1998, Matthew Shepard was tied to a fence, robbed, severely beaten and left for dead by two men. The motive is believed to be Shepard's orientation. Although the men were criminally charged, their acts were not classified as a hate crime because no such legislation existed at the time for crimes committed due to one's orientation. Shepard's tragedy immediately spawned a campaign to eliminate all forms of hate crimes and to include sexual orientation to the list of prosecutable hate crimes. On March of last year, the Matthew Shepard Act was introduced for legislation to Congress, and it passed in the House of Representatives but failed to pass through other political authorities. The Shepard family and various politicians are currently working to have the Matthew Shepard Act passed this year.

Sappho
Born between 630 BC and 612 BC, Sappho is referred to as one of the greatest lyric poets and is said to be the first recorded lesbian. The word "lesbian" is said to originate from the island Lesbos, where Sappho was born. Although there has been much debate surrounding the subjects of her poems, it is believed that some of her poetry referred to infatuation and intimate acts between women. Centuries after her death, numerous writers, artists and historians began to take more interest in her work and began compiling translations of her poetry and debating certain aspects of her life.

Billie Jean King
A retired American tennis player and the first prominent female athlete to come out as lesbian. Billie Jean King has won 39 Grand Slam singles, doubles and mixed-doubles tennis titles and a record 20 titles at Wimbledon. In1973, she defeated Bobby Riggs in the Battle of the Sexes, a match considered to be of great significance to the Women's Movement. King has devoted most of her life to LGBT and women's rights. She is the founder of the Women's Tennis Association and Women's Sports Magazine. She currently serves on the boards of the Women's Sports Foundation and the Elton John AIDS Foundation. She ranked No. 5 on Sports Illustrated's Top 40 Athletes list; in 2006, the National Tennis Center was renamed the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. She has been the recipient of numerous honors from several LGBT organizations.

Calpernia Adams
An author, actress, decorated war veteran and activist for transgender rights. Calpernia Adams served as a field medical combat specialist in the Navy and Marine Corp. She became the center of controversy when Barry Winchell, a private who was training in Ft. Campbell, Ky., was murdered by other soldiers on his base for his relationship with Adams. The details of this tragedy were documented in the award-winning film "Soldier's Girl." Since its debut, Adams was asked by Jane Fonda--whose son played Winchell in the film--to star in the first-ever all-transgender "Vagina Monologues," and in February 2008, Adams starred in her own reality dating show, "Transamerican Love Story," appearing on the LGBT network Logo.

Ian McKellen
A legendary English stage and screen actor best known for starring in the "X-Men" films and "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. Ian McKellen began his career in 1961, and although always open about his orientation, he did not make it publicly known that he was gay until 1988 when he became a part of a campaign against a law being considered by the Parliament to outlaw the promotion of homosexuality. Since then, he has been a strong international force within the LGBT community. He cofounded Stonewall, an LGBT-rights organization, named after the Stonewall riots. He is patron of LGBT History Month, The Albert Kennedy Trust (an organization dedicated to assisting young, homeless and troubled gay, lesbian and transgender individuals) and the Lesbian and Gay Foundation. McKellen has been the recipient of Oscar nominations; a Tony and Screen Actor Guild Award; Commander of the British Empire in 1979; Knighthood of the British Empire in 1990; and a GLADD Media Award in 1993, among others.

Sources:
Wikipedia, Gaycenter.org and 365gay.com

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