From Stonewall to Self-Love: How Pride Paved the Way for Sexual Wellness

When you're reaching for that drawer-side essential or having a 3am chat about what gets you going, you're participating in a revolution that started decades ago. The fight for sexual freedom and the LGBTQ+ rights movement aren't just connected, they’re directly linked. 

The Stonewall Effect: More Than Just a Riot

It's 1969, and the Stonewall Inn in New York's Greenwich Village is buzzing with energy. When police raided the bar on June 28th, something unprecedented happened, the patrons fought back. What started as resistance to yet another discriminatory raid became the catalyst for the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement.

Stonewall wasn't just about the right to exist, it was about the right to desire, to love, and yes, to have great sex without shame.

The brave souls who threw the first brick (we're looking at you, Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera) weren't just fighting for legal recognition. They were fighting for bodily autonomy, sexual freedom, and the radical idea that pleasure shouldn't be policed.

Breaking Down the Bedroom Walls

The sexual revolution of the 1960s and 70s happened alongside LGBTQ+ liberation for good reason. Both movements challenged the same oppressive systems that dictated who could sleep with whom, how, and whether they were allowed to enjoy it.

What Pride Activists Gave Us:

• Open conversations about sex: Before Pride, discussing sexuality was taboo territory. LGBTQ+ activists made talking about desire mainstream

• Consent culture: The community's emphasis on authentic self-expression naturally extended to sexual encounters

• Safer sex practices: Facing health crises head-on, LGBTQ+ communities pioneered conversations about sexual health that benefited everyone

• Pleasure without shame: Revolutionary idea alert! sex can be fun, and you don't need to feel guilty about it

The Condom Revolution 

Fun fact! The modern approach to condom marketing and sexual health education owes a massive debt to LGBTQ+ activism. When the AIDS crisis hit in the 1980s, the community didn't just wait around for institutions to save them, they created their own educational campaigns, safer sex workshops, and yes, made condoms cool.

Organisations like ACT UP didn't just fight for medical research funding; they revolutionised how we talk about protection. Their "Silence = Death" campaign transformed sexual health from a whispered topic into a public health priority.

The cheeky, sex-positive approach many brands take today? That's a direct descendant of activists who refused to let shame dictate the conversation around sexual health.

Pride's Gift to Modern Sexual Wellness

Fast-forward to today, and the sexual wellness industry exists because Pride pioneers refused to accept that pleasure was something to hide. Every sex-positive brand, every honest conversation about orgasms, every "yes means yes" campaign, they all trace back to people who demanded the right to love and be loved authentically.

The Modern Impact:

• Inclusive design: Products that work for all bodies, regardless of gender or sexual orientation

• Comprehensive education: Moving beyond "don't get pregnant" to "here's how to have amazing, safe sex"

• Mental health awareness: Understanding that sexual wellness includes emotional and psychological wellbeing

• Intersectional approach: Recognising that sexual health affects different communities differently

From Margins to Mainstream

What's beautiful about Pride's influence on sexual wellness is how it normalised conversations that were once revolutionary. The idea that everyone deserves pleasure, that consent is sexy, that sexual health is just health, these concepts traveled from LGBTQ+ communities into mainstream culture.

Today's sexual wellness movement stands on the shoulders of people who risked everything to love openly. When you see a brand celebrating diverse relationships, when you read honest reviews about pleasure products, when you have frank conversations about what you want in bed, you're participating in a legacy of liberation.

The Work Continues

While we've come incredibly far, the intersection of Pride and sexual wellness reminds us there's still work to do. LGBTQ+ individuals still face higher rates of sexual assault, discrimination in healthcare, and barriers to accessing sexual health resources.

Every time we choose inclusive language, support LGBTQ+-owned businesses, or simply refuse to let shame govern our sexuality, we're continuing the work started at Stonewall.

Celebrating the Connection

This Pride month, as you're celebrating love in all its forms, remember that your right to great sex, honest conversations about pleasure, and shame-free sexual health care didn't just happen overnight. They were fought for, bled for, and celebrated into existence by people who refused to accept that love and pleasure were privileges for some rather than rights for all.

The next time you're having an honest conversation about what makes you feel good, using protection without shame, or simply existing as your authentic sexual self. You're honouring that legacy.

And honestly? That's pretty revolutionary.

Want More? 

• Looking for a good film to watch this pride month? Check out our top 10 bi-awakening films. 

• It's Pride Month, we dive deep into 'What is Sexuality?' 

• Join the condom revolution! Try our best-selling, all-natural condoms.