5 Ways to Celebrate Pride Month
June is LGBT Pride Month, a whole 30 days dedicated to LGBTQ+ history, culture, and pride. The first pride marches were held in the aftermath of the 1969 Stonewall riots, commemorated annually on June 28th. For queer people and allies, June is a time to celebrate joy, visibility, and equality for all members of the LGBTQ+ community. Read on for five ways to do just that!
1. Be Queer, Proudly!
Whatever that means for you! On a personal level, Pride encourages us to embrace our identities and reflect on the unique journeys that have brought each of us to where we are today. Whether you’ve been out for years, live in a context in which being openly queer isn’t possible, or are just now beginning to question or accept your gender and sexuality, you deserve to be proud of and happy with who you are, fully and without apology.
2. Community Pride & Affinity Events
For many people, “Pride” has become synonymous with “parade,” but there are so many more ways to come together and celebrate queer culture in person and online. For those interested in joining marches or demonstrations, there are plenty of resources online to help you find them. For community members who can’t attend events in person or live in areas where pride events aren’t being held, there are lots of virtual screenings, lectures, socials, and other events that you can attend from the comfort of your home. You can find even more events by checking out websites and calendars for libraries, advocacy groups, and other orgs in the area where you live.
3. Support LGBTQ+ Artists
If you’re tuned into pop culture, you know that LGBTQ+ artists are making headlines every day. Kehlani, Chappell Roan, and Billie Eilish are rocking the Billboard charts. Justin Torres’s novel Blackouts took home a National Book Award, and Elliott Page’s Pageboy: A Memoir was an instant bestseller. Queer characters have been front and center on screen in movies like Rustin, American Fiction, and Bottoms. In a time of increasing censorship of queer media, it’s as important as ever to keep queer culture visible and accessible. Check out what’s new in queer literature, film, music, and television this year.
4. Brush Up On Your Queer History
This month you might see parades, pride flags, and parties in your city, but don’t forget that the first Pride was a riot. June is a great month to learn more about LGBTQ+ history. There are countless archives, documentaries, books, and organizations that preserve stories and uplift queer voices. Seek out resources that will teach you about queer activism, past and present. Let them inspire you to honor the cultural contributions of the LGBTQ+ community, to reflect on your relationship to gender and sexuality, and to join enduring local, national, and international efforts for LGBTQ+ equality at home and abroad.
5. Be an Ally
This goes for everyone! Whether you identify as cisgender/heterosexual or as queer, we can all be better allies to the LGBTQ+ community. As Audre Lorde said: “Difference is that raw and powerful connection from which our personal power is forged.” The LGBTQ+ community is not a monolith. Each of us is responsible for educating ourselves on the history and needs of queer people who are also BIPOC, trans, nonbinary, poor, dis/abled, religious — there are as many intersecting identities as there are individuals. Being an ally demands that we honor the diversity of the queer community and practice solidarity and mutual aid alongside those different from ourselves.