It is June 2021 and we are in the midst of Pride month. Pride has a complicated and rich history for so many reasons. LGBTQIA+ people encompass so many different identities and experiences and Pride is an opportunity to bring awareness of *queer history, how we’ve evolved as a nation, and how much work there is still to be done for true justice and equality for the entire community.

Joyce Lewandowski [she/her/hers], Vision 2020 program director and white, cis, queer woman, shares what Pride means to her.

Pride is…

• Acknowledging that we don’t just come out once. We come out on a regular basis.
• Understanding that queer couples holding hands in public is often an act of bravery.
• Being an aware consumer and knowing which organizations donate to causes that actively harm the LGBTQIA+ community.
• Purchasing your pride merch from a queer-owned small business while also acknowledging that a closeted kid (or adult) seeing a Pride section in Target is a very big deal.
• Intersectional.
• Understanding that millions of people are not out due to their own personal safety and circumstances.
• Fighting for members of this community who don’t have the same privileges as you.
• Honoring pronouns.
• Paying attention to legislation that harms and helps us.
• Being excited to see queer characters on TV while also pushing for better representation; not just ‘palatable gays.’
• Challenging all forms of homophobia, transphobia, racism, sexism, and ableism inside and outside of the community.

Here are some ways the Vision 2020 community can honor Pride throughout June and beyond!

• Donate to or volunteer with a local nonprofit by you.
• Join Vision 2020’s Women 100 Proud Partner Beyond the Bell Tours for their Philly Gayborhood and LGBTQ Tour this summer.
• Support queer-owner small businesses.
• Learn about the “Lavender Menaces” of the 2nd wave feminist movement.
• Attend your local Pride parade.
• Check out the National Women’s History Museum’s calendar of events for Pride.

*The term “queer” is often used as an umbrella term for the LGBTQIA+ community and we recognize that not all members of this community identify that way.