More Than Rainbows: How to Truly Show Your Support This Pride Month
In case you’ve been living underneath a bit of a rock, it’s Pride Month! We are so excited to celebrate the amazing and beautiful diversity that is the LGBTQ+ community, and the fight for equality of all! At HZ Plastic Surgery, we’re big believers in living a life where you are able to truly feel like yourself, which is why we proudly specialize in top surgery, working with many members of transgender community throughout Florida.
While today many people (especially those outside of the community) associate Pride Month with rainbow flags, logos, shirts, and parades, it’s important to keep in mind that Pride goes far beyond this. Which means being an ally must go far beyond simply slapping a rainbow onto your profile picture.
To celebrate this year’s Pride Month, we’ve put together a few things you can do to be a great ally for the LGBTQ+ community!
A Bit About Pride
Pride Month has been celebrated during the month of June for the past several decades in honor of the Stonewall Riots, which took place on June 28, 1969. These uprisings were a response to violent police raids on lesbian and gay bars throughout New York (and the country), particularly one night at The Stonewall Inn. The event is widely regarded as the start of the Gay Rights Movement.
Today, as more and more legislation and public acceptance continues to pave the way for members of the community, Pride carries a much more celebratory atmosphere, notably characterized by colorful, lively parades all over the world!
The Best Ways To Support Pride Month
Whether you’re an ally looking to do more, or an LGBTQ+ person yourself looking to support fellow members of the community, there are many things you can do to show your support!
Learn More About LGBTQ+ History
The history of the LGBTQ+ community is rich and complex. Terminology has changed overtime. Many historic individuals are hypothosized to have been gay. The fight for equality has raged for at least half a century. Each identity within the community has its own flag, and the colors on each flag have their own meanings. There are so many books, websites, podcasts, documentaries, blogs, and more resources out there to start learning about LGBTQ+ history!
Shop At LGBTQ+ Owned Businesses
A great way to support members of the LGBTQ+ community is to support them financially! Take some time to find LGBTQ+ owned brands and see if any of their products are on your shopping list— whether you’re looking for jewelery, apparel, home goods, etc. there are plenty out there to choose from!
Follow LGBTQ+ Activists On Social Media
As we’ve stressed, one of the most effective ways to become a good ally is through education. While reading about LGBTQ+ history and issues on your own time is certainly important, it’s also important to listen to LGBTQ+ voices themselves. This can of course include friends and family that you know, but the community is extremely diverse, so you likely don’t know someone from every corner of it. Following activists on social media can help round out your perspective and learn even more!
Add Pronouns To Your Bios, Your Email Signatures, Etc.
This may seem like such a small thing, but it really does make all the difference! Adding pronouns to your bios normalizes the idea that you can’t necessarily tell a person’s pronouns at first glance, and levels out the field for people who feel the want/need to clarify their pronouns. Plus it only takes a few seconds!
Have The Important Conversations
Unfortunately, not everyone is accepting of LGBTQ+ people. Though acceptance and equality are growing, we still need to be diligent about calling out homophobia and transphobia when we see it, and to not let it slide. This is one of the most important things you can do as an ally.
Donate & Volunteer
The last thing on our list for supporting Pride Month is to donate to and volunteer with LGBTQ+ organizations! There are many national and local organizations that do a tremendous amount of work in aiding the community, be it running crisis hotlines, like The Trevor Project, or promoting education about LGBTQ+ issues. Spending your time and/or money with these organizations can help change the lives of people across the country.
Go Forth And Show Your Support!
We want to leave you one more piece of advice: you can do all of these things all year long! In fact, it’s important to do all of these things all year long. At HZ Plastic Surgery, we are proud to do our part to support our LGBTQ+ patients, and all LGBTQ+ folks beyond our practice.
Now let’s go forth and celebrate Pride!
