Continuing to Celebrate and Support Pride!
First off, HAPPY PRIDE MONTH Y’ALL!! I hope that you all have had an amazing month of celebrating your existence (because you matter) and/or supporting those around you! June is known around the world as LGBTQIA Pride Month! And, even though Pride was formally celebrated in Houston last weekend, the celebration definitely does not end with the month of June! I wanted to take the time today to talk about the ways that you can continue to celebrate your own LGBTQIA pride or be a proud ally to those around you!
First off, there are more than just the days of June to celebrate your existence as an LGBTQIA individual. ALGBTICAL, the Association for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues in Counseling of Alabama, has a great source that discusses the important days of celebration for the LGBTQIA community (link). The most recent being yesterday, June 28th – Stonewall Day, commemorating the Stonewall Riots. The Stonewall riots were demonstrations against a police raid that took place on June 28, 1969 at a Greenwich Village bar, the Stonewall Inn. These riots are “cited as the first instance in American history when people in the homosexual community fought back against a government-sponsored system that persecuted sexual minorities, and they have since become the defining event that marked the start of the gay rights movement in the United States and around the world.” The next day of importance coming up is October 11th: National Coming Out Day! And, the Woodlands, TX have already announced that they will be hosting there first ever Pride celebration this September! You do not have to wait until next June to take part in celebrating your own LGBTQIA pride or to be a proud ally (link)!
If you are a person who would like to celebrate your own LGBTQIA existence and/or support those around you who identify with this community but disagree with the way large corporations have sponsored and/or change Pride celebrations, there are other ways of acknowledging and showing support to the LGBTQIA community. One example is to buy products from companies who support the LGBTQIA community. Here are some amazing options for sex companies who pride themselves on truly supporting the LGBTQIA community; I highly suggest taking a peak at the following link, if you desire to stock up on any new adult toys or would like to support the LBGT+ community (link). Other ways of showing support is by volunteering with local organizations. For Houstonians, the following link leads to the Montrose Center Volunteer page where you can submit a volunteer application (link)!
Another amazing way that you can either celebrate yourself or support those around you in the LGBTQIA community is to be educated on matters of LGBT rights. The American Civil Liberties Union has an amazing website with lots of information regarding LGBT rights (link). Be educated on your rights as a person and/or help/support those around you in better understanding their rights. Another major piece of showing support for the LGBTQIA community, is having a better understanding regarding intersectionality. There are a lot of individuals who would identify as being LGBTQIA, but who also do not feel as a welcomed part of LGBT+ community due to other aspects of their identity (race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, etc). I think the following blogs do an excellent job at describing how the LGBTQIA movement can prioritize experiences for some over others (link and link) and help to provide a basic education for those who are wanting to better understand how intersectionality works.
I hope that you have been able to celebrate your own existence or support those around you over the last month, but more importantly I hope you have this opportunity every day!
Written by Katie Mitchell, M.A.
Katie Mitchell is a counselor and Certified Sex Therapist-Candidate at Heights Family Counseling. She believes in using a solution-focused therapeutic approach to therapy, in order to empower clients to discover more effective solutions to their problems. Katie aims to foster a non-judgmental, accepting environment that helps clients to feel comfortable sharing their deepest thoughts and self-reflections. Katie enjoys working with a variety of clientele, such as individuals, couples, and families. She also enjoys working with both individual and relational sexual concerns. She understands that an active sex life is incredibly important for most individuals, especially those in a relationship.
If you’re interested in LGBTQ friendly counseling, please contact us today!