What is Pride Month?
Pride Month is celebrated for the entire month of June. The month is dedicated to amplifying the voices of those in the community, celebrating LGBTQIA+ culture and supporting their rights. Throughout the month, there is typicallty parades, protests, drag performances, and much more. Pride Month is looked out as part political activitsm, and part celebrating the achievements the LGBTQIA+ community has had over time.
The history of Pride Month
Before Pride Month became full of celebration, it originate through protests. The Stonewall riots, which started on June 28 1969, invovled the queer community responding to police raids that started at the Stonewall Inn (a bar in the Greenwich village, Manhattan, New York). This place stood as a safe space for the gay, lesiban and transgender community.
During this time period, homosexual acts were deemed illlegal in nearly every state. On this particular night, members of the community fought back. This marked the beginning of an uprising, which would launch a new era of resistence we would later see turn to celebration.
How can you be an ally?
- Familarise yourself with the language
- Discover the challenges that face the LGBTQIA+ community
- Learn more about the history of LGBTQIA+ activism
- Engage and support LGBTQIA+ charities
- Listen to what LGBTQIA+ people are saying
Current issues facing the LGBTQIA+ community
- The LGBTQIA+ community still faces discrimination and predudic accessing healthcare. Many transgender and nonbinary individuals are sat on waiting lists for years to be seen by the NHS gender identity clinics in the UK. This can be very challenging on people's mental health.
- Many individuals in the community experience a mental health problem. The most likely reasons as to why, can be things like: experienceing stigma and discrimination, dealing with homophobia, biphobia and transphobia. It can be very hard for some individuals to feel safe coming out, and some may have even had difficult experiences which negatively affected their mental health. Being part of the community has meant many also experience social isolation, exclusion and rejection from those around them.
Charities and Organisations