Question 1

Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, the day Union Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger informed slaves of their emancipation from slavery. In which state did this event take place?

Accepted Answer

Texas - Granger delivered the news, known as General Orders, No. 3, in Galveston, Texas.

Question 2

Which state became the first to legalize civil unions for same-sex couples?

Accepted Answer

Vermont - Vermont was the first state in the U.S. to recognize civil unions. The state supreme court ruled in Baker v. State of Vermont that the state had to extend to same-sex couples the common benefits and protections granted to those who marry under Vermont law.

Question 3

The United States' first Pride parade took place in what year?

Accepted Answer

1970 - To mark the anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising the previous year, gay activists organized a march from Washington Place to Central Park on June 28, 1970. The events of the previous decades created the backdrop for the creation of the first modern pride march.

Question 4

Which Constitutional Amendment officially abolished slavery across the United States?

Accepted Answer

13th Amendment - The 13th Amendment, ratified on December 6, 1865, officially abolished chattel slavery in the United States.

Question 5

When was the first protest for gay and lesbian rights?

Accepted Answer

July 4, 1965 - The first Annual Reminder demonstration took place on July 4, 1965 in Philadelphia, PA. more than two dozen LGBTQ activists demonstrate in front of Independence Hall in Philadelphia in one of the earliest gay rights demonstrations in the United States.

Question 6

What was the first European country to legalize same-sex marriage?

Accepted Answer

Netherlands - The Netherlands (Bonus points if you mentioned that it was the first country in the world to do so, too)

Question 7

Granger’s announcement came almost three years after the Emancipation Proclamation, the famous executive order abolishing slavery issued by which US President?

Accepted Answer

Abraham Lincoln - President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, as the nation approached its third year of bloody civil war. The proclamation declared “that all persons held as slaves” within the rebellious states “are, and henceforward shall be free.”

Question 8

How many slaves were estimated to be in the United States in the early 1860s before slavery was outlawed?

Accepted Answer

3.9 million - It’s estimated that there were more than 3.9 million slaves in the United States as of 1860 – while only 500,000 Black individuals lived as free persons during that time.

Question 9

What two Union border states continued to practice slavery up until the 13th Amendment was ratified?

Accepted Answer

Delaware and Kentucky - Slavery remained technically legal in Union States until 1865, and some areas of Delaware and Kentucky continued the practice until that time.

Question 10

What country currently holds the record for the biggest Pride parade ever?

Accepted Answer

Brazil - The São Paulo Gay Pride Parade in Brazil is South America's largest event, and was listed by Guinness World Records as the world's largest Pride parade in 2006 with 2.5 million people.

Question 11

Who is considered the mother of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement?

Accepted Answer

Marsha P Johnson - The mother of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement is widely considered to be Marsha P. Johnson, a Black transgender woman who was a key figure in the Stonewall riots.

Question 12

Which state was the first to recognize Juneteenth as a state holiday?

Accepted Answer

Texas - Texas was the first state to recognize Juneteenth as a state holiday on January 1, 1980.

Question 13

A revised red, white and blue flag honoring Juneteenth was introduced in 2000. What symbol is at the center of the flag?

Accepted Answer

Star - The flag, created by activist Ben Haith, founder of the National Juneteenth Celebration Foundation, has a white star in the middle representing the Lone Star State of Texas as well as the freedom of African Americans in all 50 states.

Question 14

What is another name often used to refer to Juneteenth?

Accepted Answer

Freedom Day - Juneteenth is also referred to as Freedom Day, along with Emancipation Day and Jubilee Day.

Question 15

What was the first gay rights organization formed after the Stonewall Riots?

Accepted Answer

Gay Liberation Front - Gay Liberation Front (GLF) was the name of several gay liberation groups, the first of which was formed in New York City in 1969, immediately after the Stonewall riots.

Question 16

Taylor Swift mentions "GLAAD" in which of her songs?

Accepted Answer

"You Need to Calm Down" - GLAAD – the world’s largest Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) media advocacy organization – increases media accountability and community engagement that ensures authentic LGBTQ stories are seen, heard, and actualized.

Question 17

Which US President signed a bill making Juneteenth a federal holiday?

Accepted Answer

Joe Biden - On June 17, 2021, President Joe Biden signed a bill into law recognizing Juneteenth National Independence Day. Biden said the moment will go down as “one of the greatest honors” of his presidency.

Question 18

When was Race Unity Day established?

Accepted Answer

1957 - The Bahá’í National Spiritual Assembly established Race Unity Day in 1957 to combat racism in the United States and promote more unity for all. The Bahá’í’s believe racial prejudice is the most challenging moral issue facing our nation and is the greatest barrier to peace. The holiday is an annual observation that falls on the second Sunday of June

Question 19

What beverage was once popular and synonymous with Juneteenth celebrations?

Accepted Answer

Strawberry Soda - Arriving on the heels of spring, Juneteenth festivities typically involve picnics, with red foods and drinks dominating those spreads. The color red is believed to represent the blood shed by enslaved African ancestors.

Question 20

The original Pride flag had which two additional colors?

Accepted Answer

Hot pink and turquoise  - The original LGBT pride flag contained the colors hot pink, meant to represent sexuality, and turquoise, meant to represent magic or art, depending on the source.

Question 21

Which activist is often credited as the "Mother of Pride"?

Accepted Answer

Brenda Howard - Friends with many inside the Stonewall Inn the night of the uprising, Howard created a one-month Stonewall anniversary rally in July 1969. Then, one year after Stonewall, she and a committee planned Gay Pride Week and the Christopher Street Liberation Day Parade. Often called “The Mother of Pride,” Howard’s week and parade evolved into the annual New York City Pride march and Pride celebrations we now know around the world.

Question 22

This quote describes which observance this month: ‘The freedom to marry, or not marry, a person of another race resides with the individual, and cannot be infringed by the state.’

Accepted Answer

Loving Day - Every June 12, we honor the United States Supreme Court’s 1967 decision to strike down laws in several states that banned interracial marriage. The decision was sparked by Loving v. Virginia, a court case involving Richard and Mildred Loving, an interracial couple from Virginia who married in 1958.

June Trivia

2) Which state became the first to legalize civil unions for same-sex couples?

3) The United States' first Pride parade took place in what year?

4) Which Constitutional Amendment officially abolished slavery across the United States?

5) When was the first protest for gay and lesbian rights?

6) What was the first European country to legalize same-sex marriage?

7) Granger’s announcement came almost three years after the Emancipation Proclamation, the famous executive order abolishing slavery issued by which US President?

8) How many slaves were estimated to be in the United States in the early 1860s before slavery was outlawed?

9) What two Union border states continued to practice slavery up until the 13th Amendment was ratified?

10) What country currently holds the record for the biggest Pride parade ever?

11) Who is considered the mother of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement?

12) Which state was the first to recognize Juneteenth as a state holiday?

13) A revised red, white and blue flag honoring Juneteenth was introduced in 2000. What symbol is at the center of the flag?

14) What is another name often used to refer to Juneteenth?

15) What was the first gay rights organization formed after the Stonewall Riots?

16) Taylor Swift mentions "GLAAD" in which of her songs?

17) Which US President signed a bill making Juneteenth a federal holiday?

18) When was Race Unity Day established?

19) What beverage was once popular and synonymous with Juneteenth celebrations?

20) The original Pride flag had which two additional colors?

21) Which activist is often credited as the "Mother of Pride"?

22) This quote describes which observance this month: ‘The freedom to marry, or not marry, a person of another race resides with the individual, and cannot be infringed by the state.’