It’s Pride Month: Why We Need to Celebrate

Every year, Pride Month is celebrated in June. From June 1 – 30, members of the LGBTQ communities come together and celebrate their identities and the freedom to be themselves.
Various events are held around the world during this unique month to recognize the impact LGBTQ+ persons have had around the world.

Today, celebrations include pride parades, picnics, parties, workshops, and concerts. The LGBT Pride Month events attract millions of participants around the world.

PRIDE MONTH: IT’S A PROTEST, NOT A PARTY

During Pride Month, there is a lot to celebrate, and Pride marches, festivals, and parties are a great way to get into the spirit. However, it’s important to remember that Pride was founded to honour the historic Stonewall Riots and the activists who risked their lives to lead them.

PRIDE MONTH BY THE NUMBERS

• 52% – the percentage of LGBTQ people who’ve experienced depression recently.
• One in 8 – is the number of LGBTQ people who have experienced unequal treatment from healthcare staff.
• 46% – the percentage of lesbian, gay, and bisexual people who are open about their sexual orientation with their family.
• 4.1% – the estimated percentage of women who identify as LGBT.
• 350,000 – the number of people in the LGBTQ community that are transgender women.
• One in 5 – the number of LGBTQ women living in poverty.
• 43% – the percentage of LGBTQ employees who haven’t revealed their orientation at work.
• 50% – the percentage of LGBTQ workers who recently got federal protection from discrimination.
• 10% – the amount of time LGBT workers spend hiding their identities. 
• <$12,000 – the annual income earned by 22% of LGBTQ people.

Source: nationaltoday.com

PRIDE MONTH: IT’S FOR EVERYONE

Pride Month is a time when the LGBTQ+ community comes together to celebrate the acceptance of sexual diversity. But that doesn’t mean you can’t join in if you’re a bog-standard hetero whose proclivities are firmly on the vanilla side of life. Grab a rainbow, bi, lesbian, pan, ace, or any other flag of your preference and wave it with pride!