June is Pride Month, and it is a time to celebrate Queer/LGBTQIA+ community! I want to add that celebrating and supporting Queer/LGBTQIA+ people is all year and not just one month. Pride is a message that says, “this is who we are, we are here, we deserve to be seen, recognized, respected, and protected” (outrightinternational.org).
Pride is celebrated in June because of the Stonewall Riots also known as the Stonewall Uprising. “The Stonewall Riots served as a catalyst for the gay rights movement in the United States and around the world” (History.com). If you want to learn more about the history and the continual fight/support for equality for LGBTQIA+, please visit The Trevor Project or GLSEN.
All over the world people are celebrating Pride Month. How people celebrate looks differently globally and locally, and in some places, it is their first-time celebrating Pride month. In Leander, Texas they celebrated their first Pride event this year! Rainbow flags, rainbow umbrellas, and rainbow fans are being waved in the air creating vibrant spaces to be enjoyed. Laughter and music encompassed local community members. Queer families/straight families holding hands with their family members, chosen family members, friends, co-workers, and allied strangers. Love and Pride was in the air.
While Pride is about love, acceptance, sometimes the glitter, and the fabulous dancing, we must remember the root of Pride is based in fighting for the right to be oneself. There are people no longer on this earth because of their authentic self. “LGBTQ youth are more than four times as likely to attempt suicide than their peers” (Johns et al., 2019; Johns et al., 2020). It is the duty as an adult to protect the children: the future. By participating in Pride celebrations and knowing the history, we are creating a world with more love.
In a time of so much suffering, where some parents will never get to hold their children again and some teachers will never get to teach, all I can think is we need more love rather than hate.
Editors Note: In the wake of the ruling made by the Supreme Court of the United States in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization (2022), we here at All In LISD want to recognize the importance of human and civil rights for all people. It is important to us that we empower our students to have the equality of freedom to navigate their own path through life.