Love Will Keep Us Together
Cities across the globe celebrate June as LGBTQIA Pride month. This year there are many themes like “Justice and Joy”, “Love Will Keep Us Together” and “Unapologetically Us” to name just a few. Regardless of the theme, Pride month is about visibility for those in the LGBTQIA+ community, to create awareness of the struggles they continue to face and to celebrate each individual for exactly who they are.
Celebrating looks different for everyone and here at LexisNexis we’ll be celebrating by Chalking the Walk., it’s a way to show our support even when we can’t be together in person. But there are many ways that you can celebrate, even if you can’t join in-person events. Here are a couple of ways you can honor Pride Month:
Learn the History of LGBTQIA Pride Month
The first Pride parade took place in cities across the U.S. to commemorate the first anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in 1969. The Stonewall Riots were a community reaction in New York City to the frequent violence and homophobia directed against the gay community and credited as a catalyst for the LGBTQ civil rights movement. The first gay pride parades took place in Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, and near the Stonewall Inn in New York. Learn about The Stonewall Riots here and spread the knowledge.
Watch a Virtual Event
In preparation for Pride 2022, the Equality Institute delivered a virtual event to discuss the future of LGBTQIA Pride as we return to in-person events and how to celebrate and engage fellow employees in the workplace. You can watch DEI Double Feature: The Future of Pride on-demand.
Share Your Pronouns
Members of the LGBTQIA and allies alike can show support by sharing their pronouns on social media, in email signatures, at events and beyond. This promotes inclusivity and understanding. It shows that no matter what your gender identity is, you are committed to fostering a safe environment for individuals to self-identify. GLSEN published a guide for those who want to share their pronouns and how to do so. And NPR has published a glossary of gender identity terms to help readers communicate respectfully with each other.
Support an Organization
There are many non-profit organizations that are working hard to ensure equality, equity, safety and love to the LGBTQIA community. Here at LexisNexis, we’ll be supporting GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders. GLAD is a non-profit legal rights organization that works to end discrimination based on sexual orientation, HIV status, and gender identity and expression. But there are a variety of support services from healthcare to advocacy and education. Take a look at this list of organizations like The Trevor Project, which helps prevent LGBTQ teen suicide or The Point Foundation that supports LGBTQIA students with college scholarships.
Whether you are joining us to “Chalk the Walk” in your own city, celebrating Pride month virtually or in-person, it’s important that we remain engaged in creating safe spaces and welcoming environments all year long. At LexisNexis we’re committed to doing just that; learn more about all of our diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives here.