June is Pride month. 🏳️🌈 ICYMI: earlier this month, the US Supreme Court ruled that the 1964 Civil Rights Act — which prohibits employment and workplace discrimination based on race, religion, nationality, and sex — also protects LGBTQ workers. The majority (6-3) opinion was written by Justice Neil M. Gorsuch.
Typically, Out! Raleigh hosts a Pride event in June, but thanks to the coronavirus, the tenth annual Raleigh Pride celebration has been postponed until June 6, 2021.
When we reached out to the LGBT Center of Raleigh regarding additional events this month, we received the following response:
“We’ve been rerouting all of our events to reflect the protests... We’re looking into a lot of art projects and other ways to lift underrepresented voices at the moment.”
So while Pride events may be limited this year, another great way to celebrate as we close out the month — whether you identify as LGBTQ+ or not — is to educate ourselves and become allies by:
- Working to develop an understanding of sexual orientation, heterosexism, and the challenges faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people.
- Committing to continued personal growth (even when that involves discomfort).
- Recognizing that the coming-out process and realize that it is not a one-time event. The coming-out process is unique to gay, lesbian and bisexual, and transgender people and brings challenges that are not often readily understood.
- Remembering that LGBTQ folks are a diverse group. Each community within the larger one has unique needs, challenges, and goals.
- And knowing that being an ally does not have a strict list of personal responsibilities nor is the experience the same for everyone. (Source: LGBTQ Center at UNC)
Pride Month provides the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer communities an opportunity to raise awareness about relevant local issues. It also, in part, commemorates the 1969 Stonewall Riots that launched the gay rights movement in the US.
If you’re looking to educate yourself about LGBTQ+ issues, learning more about Stonewall is a good place to start. But there’s are also a lot of great local resources here in Raleigh + support groups and events for those who need them.
- Click here for programs at the LGBT Center of Raleigh.
- Click here for a list of LGBTQ+ health care resources from HealthWorks.
- Click here to learn about or donate to Raleigh Pride.
