Pride Reminders

As we enter another Pride month, I think a few things are worthy of being talked about each year.

Supporting LGBTQIA+ people and communities is important year round. ALWAYS! Don’t fall for the rainbow-washing that will pop up everywhere. What is rainbow washing you ask? It is the phenomenon of companies jumping on the rainbow merchandise bandwagon to cash in on this month, without ever doing anything meaningful to support LGBTQIA+ people in general or their workers in particular.

Many of these companies are actively contributing to causes and people that are targeting and harming queer communities. So when you can, make an effort to buy from LGBTQIA+ people directly, or from organizations and companies that actively work to support LGBTQIA+ people and communities beyond Pride. A friendly reminder that the reason for Pride is due to the very real barriers, discrimination, and oppression that LGBTQIA+ folx still experience. This is doubly true for those who have intersecting identities, such as  BIPOC, trans and non-binary individuals, and disabled members of the community especially under this current administration.