Celebrating Pride Month
Pride Month is a time to honor the LGBTQ community while also acknowledging their long-standing battle for civil rights and continued fight for equity. It's a time of joy, unity, and recognition for a lot of people but can also serve as a reminder of the struggles LGBTQ individuals may experience everyday.
The History and Importance of Pride:
The Stonewall Riots were an ongoing sequence of violent altercations between police and gay rights activists. They initially started June 28, 1969, outside the Stonewall Inn, a gay nightclub in New York City's Greenwich Village neighborhood. An international movement for LGBTQ rights emerged as the riots intensified. Celebrated each year in June, Pride Month honors the Stonewall Riots of 1969, a turning point in the struggle for LGBTQ rights. Pride is now a celebration of identity, love, and the advancement of equality rather than just parades and having a good time. It's an opportunity to consider the difficulties the LGBTQ community has encountered and to recognize the work that remains until everyone is fully accepted.
Mental Health:
LGBTQ individuals are shown to have higher rates of anxiety, depression, and suicide thoughts. These are just some of the serious issues that need to be recognized. Everyone should be able to feel comfortable with who they are. A number of things can contribute to this, such as internalized judgment, rejection from society, and discrimination. As a minority group, the LQBTQ population face a number of health inequalities, such as mental health care. Given that these populations have a greater prevalence of mental disorders than the general population, being able to obtain the proper resources is important. Research found that participants' experiences receiving mental health care were associated with stigma and staff members' ignorance of the needs of LGBTQ individuals. It is crucial that mental health services are held accountable and uphold diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Establishing a secure and welcoming environment is an essential component to supporting the LGBTQ community. Educating yourself and others can help create a safe space for all. Respecting and validating someone's identity can be demonstrated by using the appropriate pronouns and inclusive language. We can ensure that everyone gets the resources they need by appreciating diversity and creating a place of acceptance.
Resources:
Wallenfeldt, J. (2023). Why Is Pride Month Celebrated in June?. Encyclopedia Britannica.
https://www.britannica.com/story/why-is-pride-month-celebrated-in-june
Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2024). Stonewall riots. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/event/Stonewall-riots
Samuel N. Rees, Marie Crowe, Shirley Harris (2020). The lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities' mental health care needs and experiences of mental health services: An integrative review of qualitative studies. Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com