Explore these resources for learning about and celebrating Pride Month
June is Pride Month, which celebrates the history, contributions, and struggles faced by LGBTQIA+ identities.
Pride month is celebrated in June to honor the Stonewall Uprising. This event took place on June 28th, 1969. It was one of the most famous, though not the first, demonstrations by Queer activists.
The Stonewall Uprising was an immediate reaction to a police raid of the Stonewall Inn, a known safe-haven for the LGBTQIA+ community in Greenwich Village, NYC. Tensions were high as a result of broader homophobic sentiment and legislation, and previous demonstrations had already occurred around the country.
Pride Month now takes place around the world. Celebrations often involve a parade, parties, costumes, music, and lots of rainbows!
Related resources:
- Helpful overview of Stonewall riots
- Helpful overview of Pride Month
- Ultimate Guide to Resources for LGBTQ+ Students
Working towards LGBTQIA+ inclusive education
Here at Outschool, we want to help all learners pursue their interests and passions. We believe that by hosting an inclusive platform, we can help foster a sense of belonging for learners.
When learners feel confident in their identity, psychologically safe, and supported by their community, they are free to explore their passions!
You can participate in Outschool’s efforts to help all learners feel psychologically safe by following these best practices on how to be an ally.
8 ways to be an ally to LGBTQIA+ people in your family and community:
- Challenge your assumptions: the LGBTQIA+ umbrella is diverse, and it's important to remember that members of the LGBTQIA+ community may express and identify with their Queerness in many different ways.
- Take action through education and seek out opportunities to listen to and learn from Queer voices. Learning and empathy are key to being an effective ally.
- Position yourself to amplify Queer voices.
- Get involved! There are tons of opportunities to support LGBTQIA+ folks through political action, donation, and protest.
- Make an effort to use inclusive and non-gendered language such as “you all” instead of “you guys”.
- When you introduce yourself, state your pronouns and make space for others to introduce theirs if they want to. If you ever make a mistake around someone’s name, pronouns, or other aspects of their identity, don’t dwell on it - simply use it as an opportunity to learn and move on.
- Remember that Queerness is an intersectional identity - sometimes a person’s Queer identity may intersect with a second (or third) Queer identity, or with other identities such as race, nationality, etc. These intersectional identities may experience greater degrees of prejudice and marginalization. As allies, it’s not enough to stand up and protect some Queer identities; we need to protect all of them.
- Read this (long but engaging!) guide from PFLAG
How to celebrate Pride Month
There are many high-quality resources available to help you celebrate Pride Month and several steps you can take on your own or with your learners to honor the LGBTQIA+ community.
- Wear rainbow colors to celebrate. Learn more about how the rainbow flag became a signal for LGBTQIA+ Pride from Encyclopedia Britannica here!
- Experience the Smithsonian Museum’s exhibit that celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, Illegal to be You.
- Check out InterPride’s calendar of Pride events around the world! Look for in-person or virtual parades, drag shows, or other celebrations of LGBTQIA+ identities!
Explore Outschool classes on Pride
Looking for classes related to Pride Month to share with your learners? Explore classes by these teachers:
At Outschool, we value our community and work every day to create a space that is accessible and inclusive for all learners and teachers.
We hope that you can join in our efforts to encourage a Love of Learning through exploring the classes and resources we’ve shared with you during the month of Pride and beyond.
