This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, a moment in history widely considered to be the beginning of the gay rights movement in the United States. Fifty years ago, the Stonewall Inn was one of the few places in New York City where LGBTQ+ people could gather openly. When police raided the bar on June 28, 1969, New Yorkers fought back. Their protest, which lasted for days, sparked a movement for LGBTQ+ rights around the world.
Pride Month occurs in June to commemorate this pivotal moment in history. LGBTQ+ rights have significantly progressed in the half century since the riots, but the community still faces discrimination in places all over the world. Thatâs why many Local Guides are committed to sharing info about places they know are LGBTQ+ friendly, as well as those that arenât.
To celebrate Pride Month, weâre featuring Local Guides who aim to make the map more equal for the LGBTQ+ community through their contributions. Read our interviews with them below and be sure to check out our Instagram Stories this month to see amazing photos theyâve shared on Maps.
Samson L.
Tell us a bit about yourself.
I am a local photographer with a passion for storytelling and outdoor adventures. I love dogs, tacos, traveling and thrift shopping.
How do you use Google Maps to make the map more equal for the LGBTQIA community?
I use Google Maps to map out safer spaces for trans and queer people to use washrooms by highlighting and reviewing places that have gender neutral washroom facilities available.
Why is it important to you to use your platform this way?
Itâs important because there are very few platforms as widely accessible as Google Maps and so many people need access to safer spaces. I love reviewing and including local businesses that make the effort to open their spaces to all gender identities by simply having gender-inclusive washrooms. Itâs such a small improvement that positively impacts a special minority of people in immeasurable ways. Itâs invaluable to be seen.
What does Pride mean to you?
Thatâs a complicated questionâŠbut I think for me it is community, itâs support, it is feeling seen and valued for who we are. Itâs resisting the gendered boxes on medical forms, itâs lobbying Canadian government to cover gender affirming surgeries, itâs including queer families in my portfolios, and providing safe experiences for queer couples to get portraits together.
Kim J.
Tell us a bit about yourself.
Iâm a 29-year-old lesbian foodie that loves to travel. And when I say that, I donât just mean it in the wanderlust Instagram dating profile kind of way. I mean my favorite thing is to go to a random âflyoverâ town Iâve never been to, stay at a motel, and eat at the local greasy spoon. Donât get me wrong, I love exotic destinations and bougie eateries as well. But theres something special about walking into a dive in Grand Forks, North Dakota and choking down 15 hot wings to win a T-shirt.
How do you use Google Maps to make the map more equal for the LGBTQIA community? Iâm a gender non-conforming woman. I keep my hair short and I wear masculine clothing, from suits, dress shirts and shoes, down to sneakers and streetwear. Outside of a few specialty online stores, my only options are places for men. Thereâs always some initial discomfort when I go into a menâs store, or shop in the menâs section, or walk into a new barbershop for the first time. When a business is very accommodating, or just generally makes me feel good about being in their âmale space,â I make sure to leave a good review.
Why is it important to you to use your platform this way?
For two reasons. One, businesses that go out of their way to make me feel comfortable deserve the business bump, but more importantly I want people like me to know that this place is safe, even if itâs not necessarily âforâ us.
What does Pride mean to you?
I think the word âprideâ speaks for itself. Iâm proud and unashamed of who I am, and I want all of us in the QUILTBAG to live that way.
Briggs S.
Tell us a bit about yourself:
My name is Briggs. Iâm a crafty, energetic individual who has a keen sense of exploration. Some of my hobbies include playing location-based games such as Ingress and Pokemon Go, hunting for street art, and reading about urban development. I enjoy long walks, Zumba, and hearty meals.
How do you use Google Maps to make the map more equal for the LGBTQIA community?
I write all my reviews based on first-hand experience and the impressions that I have, almost always including the service as well as the overall atmosphere of the place. In Sydney, many businesses include an âLGBT-friendlyâ or âsafe spaceâ sticker in their shopfront and I communicate this by taking a photo of the business which includes the sticker. I also suggest LGBT-friendly descriptions that apply to a place by determining the crowd of the place and in the planning section by checking whether theyâre a transgender safespace and/or LGBTQ-friendly.
Why is it important to you to use your platform this way?
Although I might not come across as LGBTQIA+ at first glance, the way the community is treated at face value will also reflect how I would be treated as well. Google Maps allows for an additional planning option for a night out besides the typical suggestions by friends and can also help others discover new LGBT-friendly spaces as well. Ultimately, I would appreciate having a quiet, peaceful night with my future partner or friends without being prejudiced by the crowd or in rare circumstances, the owner themselves.
What does Pride mean to you?
Pride to me is appreciating the color of humanity as we do the vivid colours of the world. Like there are naturally-occurring colors in nature and the animal kingdom, Pride is an encouragement to acknowledge that every person in the world is different, as well as realizing and accepting oneâs own differences. Pride is a celebration of diversity, setting aside our differences and believing that our differences make us stronger.
S****antiago P.
Tell us a bit about yourself.
My name is Santiago and I am 34 years old. Originally from Spain, I have been living in Los Angeles for over a decade. I am a proud immigrant, publicist, creative professional, and yogi. I am the youngest of three siblings, and we lived in different European cities during our childhood. Thatâs why, in part, I enjoy moving around the world so fearlessly and immersing myself in different situations and scenarios.
I get to travel very often due to my job, so I get to discover interesting places that I love sharing with friends. I do enjoy sharing my point of view with my social circle, and thanks to Local Guides, I get to share my opinion with a global community.
How do you use Google Maps to make the map more equal for the LGBTQIA community?
I do not consider myself to be what some describe as a âtraditional activist.â I believe that by saying âI am straightâ or âI am gay,â we are already differentiating ourselves from the rest. We are already separating people by groups by using different terms.
I remember the day my parents learned I was gay. They did not hear me say, âparents, I am gay.â I directly told them that I had a boyfriend, which obviously implicated I was gay. Before taking this approach, I looked at my sisters, who never went to my parents and said âhey, I am straight.â Why should I be different? Words are extremely powerful, and I deeply consider removing specific terms to be a good, subtle path for equality for all human beings.
I have the same approach with Local Guides. Most of the time, I use pictures of my boyfriend or sometimes I am more direct and mention some places are gay-friendly.
Why is it important to you to use your platform this way?
For the gay community, as with any other community, it is extremely important to be respected and tolerated. When I am not in a gay bar, I am always very careful of my surroundings and how people behave towards a gay couple. And I am aware more LGBTQ members feel the same way.
By me reviewing a business as a gay-friendly, I am also encouraging other members of my community to try new businesses so we can break the worlds of âsegmentationâ across our society. By more gay people being in more âstraight orientedâ businesses, we are all building new social bridges, which equals to dialogue and, ultimately, acceptance.
What does Pride mean to you?
Pride to me means a day to celebrate our differences, a day of acceptance and self love. A day reminds us that, no matter where you come from, how much money you have, the color of your skin, or who you love, we are all human beings that deserve love, support, respect, and tolerance.
How are you making the map more inclusive for the LGBTQ+ community? Tell us in the comments below!
Thanks to all who make the map LGBTQ±friendly!