Pride is a Protest Candle

Picture it: New York, 1969. LGBTQ+ people had endured generations of criminalization, shame, and relentless police violence. Outside the Stonewall Inn, one of the few places where queer people could gather freely, a routine police raid pushed too far. This time, the community didn’t back down. They fought back, and the uprising that followed lit a fire that would never be extinguished. One year later, people filled the streets of New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, not in mourning, but in defiant celebration. These weren’t just parades. They were public, political, and unapologetic acts of rebellion. This was the birth of Pride. Today, as Pride organizations face slashed funding and the rise of fascist rhetoric and policy, the message is the same. Pride has always been protest. It was born in resistance, forged in fire, and meant to be loud. Be proud. Be gloriously subversive. Scent: black currant, pear, jasmine, vanilla, patchouli