Supporting the LGBTQIA+ Community Throughout the Year

Each year during June, we celebrate Pride month and the history of the LGBTQIA+ community, but we should also work to support those who identify as LGBTQIA+ throughout the rest of the year.

Caption: Street art from Pride celebrations in Dublin.

Ideas for Supporting the LGBTQIA+ Community Year-Round

Whether you identify as LGBTQIA+ or instead consider yourself an ally, there are many ways to show your support for the community at any time. Here are some ways to do just that:

• If comfortable, share your pronouns: sharing your personal pronouns in a visible place like your email signature allows others to address you as you would like to be addressed and can help them avoid assuming your gender identity. The Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) provides a useful guide on pronouns.

• Donate and/or volunteer: donating money, especially on a recurring monthly basis, is a great way to help organizations that directly work to support members of the LGBTQIA+ community. You can also donate your time by volunteering with them! Although by no means an inclusive list, below are a few ideas for charities and nonprofits to support (make sure to also check out groups local to you!):

• The Trevor Project

• National Center for Transgender Equality

• Center for Black Equity

• It Gets Better Project

• The Point Foundation

• Lambda Literary Foundation

• Learn more! There is so much to learn about the history and current state of the LGBTQIA+ community, and thanks to the internet, this information is easier to access than ever. Here are some resources if you're not sure where to get started:

• A glossary of LGBTQ terms from Out and Equal

• A Reading List for Pride Month 2023 from the Community of Literary Magazines
  and Presses

• LGBTQ Rights Timeline in American History at LGBTQHistory.org

• The Making Gay History podcast

Caption: Marchers in the Dublin Pride parade.

Learn About the Global LGBTQIA+ Community and Support LGBTQIA+ Students Studying Abroad

There are also many ways to learn about the LGBTQ+ community outside of the US. Here are a few places to get started:

• Gay Rights and LGBTQIA+ movements in Europe from the Digital Encyclopedia of European History

• The State of LGBTQIA+ Rights in Latin America from the Wilson Center

• African sexuality and the legacy of imported homophobia from Stonewall

Finally, there are many ways to support LGBTQIA+ students who plan to study abroad, such as donating to the Fund for Education Abroad Rainbow Scholarship. The FEA Rainbow Scholarship "awards deserving lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) students who aim to participate in high-quality, rigorous education abroad programs." Learn more about the scholarship and donate here.

Please join us in advocating for and celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community year-round!