How Many Names Does June Have?

June is the first month of summer. It is also a favorite month for weddings. In 1999, President Bill Clinton declared that June would officially be known as “LGBTQ+ Pride Month”. In 2009, President Barack Obama expanded the celebration, even lighting the White House in rainbow colors. Other cities celebrate with parades and rainbow decorations.

The Trump administration announced that June will be known as “Title IX Month.” This title refers to the “1972 civil rights law banning discrimination in publicly funded schools on the basis of biological sex,” according to Brigham Tomco, staff writer at the Deseret News. 

While Democrat states celebrate Pride Month, Republican states have other names for the month of June. For example, Arkansas and Utah declared June to be “Fidelity Month” to urge “Americans to rededicate themselves to principles of God, marriage, family, country and community.”  Tennessee, Alabama, and Indiana, declared June to be “Nuclear Family Month” to “underscore the role of traditional families.” Oklahoma declared it to be “Life Month” to commit to “support unborn humans from conception.”

The contest over the month of June reflects decades long culture war questions, exacerbated by partisan polarization and a sense that red and blue states increasingly represent different values ahead of America’s 250^th anniversary.