Every June, LGBTQ+ communities and allies come together to celebrate Pride Month, a month that serves to recognize and uplift everyone’s freedom to be their authentic selves. Pride gatherings are rooted in a history of resistance and overcoming prejudice to be accepted. This month-long celebration serves to honor the 1969 Stonewall Riots. On June 28, 1969, police unjustly raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City’s Greenwich Village, but the community fought back. The subsequent uprisings, led by leaders such as Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, among many others, became a catalyst for an emerging LGBTQ+ rights movement across the United States. To commemorate the one-year anniversary of the riots, Brenda Howard, a bisexual activist, help organized the first Pride march, and she became known as the “Mother of Pride”. In the following years, Pride marches emerged in all major cities in the US and around the world.
Sheppard Mullin is a global law firm with a strong tradition of supporting the LGBTQ+ community through diversity and inclusion, legal pro bono, and charitable giving. Sheppard Mullin’s LGBTQ+ affinity group, Out at Sheppard, aims to increase the visibility of and support for LGBTQ+ attorneys and professionals within the firm and improve the lives of LGBTQ+ individuals and their loved ones. Join the firm-wide affinity group for LGBTQ+ attorneys and allies! We work to ensure that Sheppard Mullin remains a vibrant and inclusive place where all of us can thrive.
Sheppard Mullin serves as pro bono counsel for LA Pride and San Francisco Pride and is national pro bono counsel for GLAAD. We also support a range of LGBTQ+ legal organizations, including the LA LGBTQ+ Bar Association and Lambda Legal. We aim to positively impact not only our own and our clients’ workplaces, but also the larger communities in which we practice.
Events
Get loud and proud with Sheppard Mullin! We are participating in the following local parades.
Educational Resources Recommended by Sheppard Mullin
- Why Gender Pronouns Matter – Mala Matacin | TEDxHartford
- A Living History of the LGBT Movement Since The 1800s
- The Supreme Court Rulings That Have Shaped Gay Rights in America | History
- 50+ Resources For LGBTQIA Allies | Buffer