What is Pride Month & How to Celebrate Pride Month?

The idea of this post popped up while I was exploring online streaming websites for some amazing binge-worthy shows during the lockdown time. Subh Mangal Zayada Saavdhan was one of the movies that immediately got my attention. This movie has all the Bollywood masala – the catchy songs, the hot romance, the dances, the big fat Indian wedding, the comedy and the drama which have made it a box-office hit. Yet it has something more which made it a milestone marker in the Hindi Film Industry. The movie has the heart and intelligence and the couple in the centre of romance is not stereotypical man & woman but man & man. The love between this couple is very natural, very palpable and they look and act as if they are made for each other. But between them stand a homophobic society and their unbending families. The movie speaks of homosexuality and Indian society in a way that will make the audience just comfortable enough to start a conversation. And in 2020, it’s about time we had this conversation especially with June bringing to us Pride Month. But what is pride month and how to celebrate pride month? Lets us delve deep into the details.

Read More: LGBTTQQIAAP Meaning-Do You Know The Meaning of LGBTQ+?

What is Pride Month?

This movie obviously left me with some food for thought, especially when “Welcome to the Pride Month” is making the headlines in many international newspapers since the month of June has marked its entry.  During Pride month, the world’s LGBTQIA (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, & Asexual) communities come together and celebrate the freedom to be themselves. These Pride gatherings are rooted in the arduous history of minority groups who have struggled for decades to overcome prejudice and be accepted for who they are.

These Pride events are centred toward anyone who feels like their sexual identity falls outside the mainstream.  Many straight people also join in for celebrations with the queer rainbow flags in their hands to show their support and solidarity. June is a very special time for the LGBTQ+ community as what started as a day to commemorate a major catalyst for the gay rights movement—the 1969 Stonewall Riots—has expanded to encompass an entire month of reflection, education and celebration. 

How to Celebrate Pride Month?

Coincidentally, my friend, a Professor in the Department of Economics, in a state-run University, called me and informed me happily how she surpassed all the university politics and successfully introduced a subject on ‘Gender & Development’ against all the odds in the upcoming academic session post lockdown. While chit-chatting with her on call, she said “I have been to many Eastern Universities in Europe and after my academic interactions with one of the faculties about the history and struggles of LGBTQ+ movement, I realised that we need to see an array of colours like the Rainbow as life is much beyond the traditional concept of binary (black & white or zero or one)”. This is the way she chose to celebrate pride month at work. So for those who often wonder how to celebrate pride month at work, here is one way to make an impact. The options are endless, but the outcome is the same. And that is, showing your bit towards the community by taking small steps. Always remember every step counts.

Yesterday, while going through Instagram and Facebook updates of one of my friends, I saw a beautiful collection of art paintings inspired by gay & beat literature launched as a part of the Pride Month Collection (June 2020 Series). These Paintings reflect how Beat Generation was all about free love and sexual liberation. She now teaches ‘Beat Culture & Gay Literature’ at the University of Portland. Her collection is apparently up for sale and more than half of her work is already sold out and She is planning to donate the proceeds to the LGBTQ+ cause. Now, this is called a true allyship- a key to unlock the power of diversity.

Lately, the communities around the world are also showing their love and support for Pride Month as the world is witnessing the George Floyd Protests and are extending their support to the “Black Lives Matters Movement”. I also watched events around the George Floyd protests unfolding. I felt truly terrified and upset over the ongoing injustices. I spent hours reflecting on how people experience systematic racism that I might have overlooked or downplayed before. I have also felt the overwhelming pressure to tone myself down, to avoid showing any negative emotion. With the month of June marking Pride month, I believe, it is vital that this year’s celebrations focus on solidarity with the Black Lives Matter Movement as Protesting Injustice is at the heart of Pride. This year’s Pride is a perfect opportunity to lift the voices of sexual minorities of the LGBTQ+ community  & other racial and religious minorities who feel alienated by society and the system. Therefore, sensitising yourself to the cause of minorities, gay friends, and queer counterparts is another way of showing your harmony during Pride Month.

Talking about me, while digging deeper, I discovered that the spirit of giving everyone a ‘fair go’ is alive and well, and we all are fortunate enough to be exposed to many cultures, traditions & societies. It is not enough to merely accept or tolerate those who are different to us. We must celebrate what makes us different and find joy in our uniqueness. I choose to celebrate the diversity and inclusivity around us and the LGBTQ+  community is no different. I pay respect to the years of struggles faced by countless people of the LGBTQ+ community to get where they are and to the fact that they still have a long way to go by breaking ever-lasting social stigma, judgement and hatred. 

As they say “Unity in Diversity”-as an expression of harmony and unity between dissimilar individuals or groups, let us embrace this diversity of sexual minorities and other minorities in general & give them much needed space, love & respect in our hearts & minds by celebrating the pride month.

It is no more news that the coronavirus pandemic has led to a change in plans for this year’s Pride celebrations, given the inability and restrictions on travel and restrictions around gathering in large groups- key components in honouring the occasion. None of this, however, means Pride is truly “cancelled,” whether you’re queer yourself or an ally. Celebrations are alive and well — they will just happen virtually, and where possible, in small and distanced groups observing the social distancing norms. You can choose to attend virtual pride parade celebrations, educate yourself on the history of pride (particularly the story of Stonewall) or donate to the queer causes by donating your time by reading on issues of the LGBTQ+ community or donating money to the NGOs working on LGBTQ+ rights. 

Other ways to show harmony to your LGBTQIA+ friends is to become an ally and become an advocate for the LGBT cause. You can also choose to volunteer and donate for the cause of LGBT liberation or wellness or support. If you work for a company and are contemplating how to celebrate pride month at work, start a gay employee network, or a pride employee network, and associate with international gay work networks. You should also assess if your company practices LGBTQ+ inclusive policies or does it promote LGBTQ+ inclusivity? If not, you can think of the ways you can make your LGBTQ+ friends at the work feel comfortable or contribute to the cause of queer friends at the workplace so that they feel accepted and valued.

And the least you can do is to educate yourself, learn the history of pride, the challenges and hardship faced by the community. You can then choose to learn and support queer art and culture. You can also have a heart to heart talk with your gay friends, empathise with them and become an advocate for the larger queer rights.

Everyone around me is doing their bit for the much repressed LGBTQ+ community during Pride Month either by expressing their support in the form of art & paintings or by introducing gender & LGBTQ+ papers in universities. Some around me are also showing solidarity by simply talking about LGBTQ+ rights and issues with significant others and successfully breaking the social stigma.  How about you? How are you planning to show your support during the month of pride to the much cornered and suppressed sexual minority LGBTQIA community? 

The big question is “Can we make this Rainbow as a Colour of Change and stand up for social justice for All the Minorities including the Sexual Minorities and ACT?”