by Malleana Ruffin, Social Media Manager, Public Interest Registry
Marked each year in the month of June, Pride honors the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan, a galvanizing event for the LGBTQ movement. Fifty years later, millions of participants around the globe attend parades, picnics, parties, workshops, symposia, and concerts to mark the moment, advocate, and celebrate. This year, in-person events have largely been canceled. But Pride is more than parades. Here are four ways to observe Pride from your home, while learning, sharing with others, giving back, and having a fun.
Pride Yourself on Education
There are many terrific resources to explore about LGBTQIA experiences, struggles, and victories. Start by learning about the origins of Pride with this interactive virtual monument to Stonewall provided by StonewallForever.org, or this list of excellent documentaries, including The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson (2017), about Black transgender activist and drag performer, Marsha P. Johnson, who played a pivotal role in the Stonewall uprising. Explore the expansive library offered by HRC.org (Human Rights Campaign) for allies, communities of color, transgender issues, and parenting.
Make Your Kids Proud
Teach your children well, as the song goes. RainbowFamilies.org provides education, connection, and support for LGBTQ families and parents-to-be. WelcomingSchools.org offers a reading list for kids ranging from picture books for small children to stories about LGBTQ teen characters for older kids. It’s not always easy being an LGBTQ teen, and ItGetsBetter.org is a source of inspiration and empowerment for the LGBTQ young people in your life. Add fun rainbow recipes like this one for a pride pizza party, colorful crafts like this rainbow crown, and this joyful and inclusive Drag Queen Story Time, and you have a family Pride celebration of which you can be proud!
Show Your True Colors
Rainbows are clearly the way to go fashion-wise during Pride. Dress up, be colorful, and wear a handmade feather boa. Have a virtual fashion show with friends, and make sure to choose a Pride virtual background. When you go about your errands this month, don’t forget to carry your pride with you. Wear a Pride face mask to protect yourself and others from Covid-19, whether for a socially-distant visit with friends, at trip to the grocery store, or while volunteering. You can also deck yourself out with Pride gear from these LGBTQ-friendly sources.
Act Up and Speak Out With Pride
One of the best ways to show pride this month is to support organizations that champion LGBTQ rights. ACLU.org is a standard bearer for the legal protection of LGBTQ people. They brought their first LGBTQ rights case in 1936 and founded the LGBTQ Project in 1986. At a time when transgender people, and especially those of color, are at risk for violence, the TransgenderLawCenter.org focuses particularly on ensuring transgender and gender non-conforming people of all races are safe and thriving. TheTrevorProject.org. helps safeguard the mental health of LGBTQ youth, as the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services.
We hope that these resources help you take Pride in yourself, your family, and your community this June. While it’s not quite the same as an in-person parade, there is a lot of hope, joy, and activism to be had online with HRC’s Pride Inside festivities. Some cities are also holding virtual pride runs, like the Virtual Rainbow Run 5K in Minneapolis-Saint Paul, hosted by tcpride.org.
Happy, healthy, and safe Pride wishes to you.