If you’ve ventured out recently, you may have noticed rainbow flags popping up on lampposts, at your favorite retailers, and even embassies around the world! No, it’s not the end of COVID or a celebration of spring, these symbols of hope crop up every June in celebration of Pride Month.
Why Do We Celebrate Pride?
Through the 1950s and 1960s, the LGBT community suffered years of dehumanization, violence, and discrimination because of who they were and who they loved. On eight, June 28th, 1969, the community was pushed to its breaking point after a police “raid” on the Stonewall Inn. The LGBT community and residents of the area had had enough and began to organize. Over the next six days, the Stonewall Uprising launched the gay rights movement in America. Once celebrated only on the last Sunday in June, Pride has grown to encompass the entire month of June and provides a time for reflection, remembrance, mourning, activism, hope, and celebration.
WBMA Stands With You.
WBMA stands firmly with the 2SLBGTQQIAA+ community. We prioritize affirming care for individuals in the community and those who love them. We are committed to challenging pathologization and marginalization of any person on the basis of sexual or affectional orientation, or gender identity, through our work with clients, peers, providers, organizations, and government agencies. We adhere to the WPATH Standards of Care and the American Psychological Association’s Guidelines for Psychological Practice with Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Clients.
Christina Hill: My Story
I’m Christina Hill, a graduate clinical extern at WBMA, and I identify as a queer woman. I’ve known that I was queer since I was five years old but never had the language or support to say the words out loud. I spent 34 years in the closet under mountains of shame, denial, and repression of integral parts of myself. Until now.
This is my first Pride as an openly queer woman and the support and affirmation of my professional community means the world to me. One of the reasons I love working with the staff and providers at WBMA is their commitment to equity and inclusion. I know that every client will be treated with dignity, and that how each client experiences the world and expresses their identity will be respected, honored, and validated. It gives me tremendous hope that this space exists today. A child or teen just like I was, or an adult experiencing their own needs, can find warmth, affirmation, and encouragement to explore their identity in a safe, supportive environment.
Resources.
Are you wondering what you can do to show solidarity or support for the 2SLBGTQQIAA+ community? Here are just a few of the many opportunities to show up, speak out, and advocate in our region and beyond:
https://www.capitalpride.org/celebration/The following text has had all instances of the letter ‘n’ restored and corrected:
https://www.charities.org/news/lgbtqia-pride-month-2021
https://www.thetrevorproject.org/
Is Pride new for you? Maybe you’re looking for a good first step? Here are some resources:
How to Support your LGBTQIA+ Child
How to Support your LGBTQIA+ Child
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Why Affirming Care is So Important
What does Pride mean to you? Please email us at hello@wbma.cc and tell us what Pride means to you. If you’d like, we’ll spotlight your story on WBMA’s SOAR Program’s social media. All month we’ll be embracing stories of resilience, love, strength, determination, and Pride by and for our community.
