How to Celebrate Pride Now — and All-Year Round

A white woman with blonde-brown hair and green eyes. She is wearing a v neck pink sweater and smiling with her front teeth showing.

Caitlin Kilgore

Updated: 05/31/2022

The fight for LGBTQIA+ rights isn’t an annual event. Here’s how to lend ongoing support.

The month of June marks the celebration of Pride in many cities across the globe, but the occasion hasn’t always been about the joyous parties, parades and festivities we associate it with today.

It began as a protest — or more accurately, a riot — against unjust belief systems and a desperate fight for equal rights for the gay community (which is now the more inclusive LGBTQIA+ community — lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and/or questioning, intersex, asexual).

The History of Pride

In New York City, over fifty years ago, the Stonewall Riots helped spur the beginnings of the modern LGBTQIA+ liberation movement.

On June 28, 1969, the police stormed the Stonewall Inn — a bar that was a safe haven for gay New Yorkers. Police raids of bars were not uncommon at the time due to a city liquor law that deemed “the gathering of homosexuals to be disorderly.” As the police began arresting bar patrons, violently forcing them out on the street and into cop cars, the crowd decided to fight back and the confrontations continued over several days.

The following year, thousands marched from Christopher Street to Central Park in what became the first gay pride parade. Every year since, that spirit of resistance has erupted into a celebration of individuality and a continued fight for equality.

Progress is Not Perfection

Where we are: Same-sex couples can now legally get married in all 50 states, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals can serve in the military and laws banning homosexual activity have been overturned. Despite these meaningful strides, the LGBTQIA+ community is still marginalized and in danger. Fourteen trans individuals have been killed from January to May this year alone — and likely more, as these stories often go unreported. And legislation undermining LGBTQIA+ rights continues to circulate — like Florida's "Don't Say Gay" bill that was signed into law this March.

So while you’re celebrating (and you should!), don’t forget the importance of supporting and championing the LGBTQIA+ community 365 days a year.

Read on for resources and organizations that can help.

Mental Health Resources for the LGBTQIA+ Community

There is a great disparity within marginalized communities when it comes to mental health, particularly for those who identify as LGBTQIA+.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, LGBTQIA+ adults are “more than twice as likely as heterosexual adults to experience a mental health condition. Transgender individuals are nearly four times as likely as cisgender individuals (people whose gender identity corresponds with their birth sex) to experience a mental health condition.”

It’s also estimated that LGBTQIA+ adults are twice as likely as heterosexual adults to develop substance abuse disorders and LGBTQIA+ youth have a 120% higher risk of experiencing homelessness.

Below, organizations that offer mental health resources and support:

Each Mind Matters
Families for Depression Awareness
MHTTC: Mental Health Technology Transfer Center Network
NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness
National Center for Transgender Equality
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
The Trevor Project
Trans Lifeline

Organizations to Support:

GLAAD: The leading source for fair representation of the LGBTQIA+ community in the media
GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ Equality: Works to ensure fair and equal healthcare for both LGBTQ individuals and healthcare professionals
The Human Rights Campaign: National organization working towards equality for LGBTQIA+ Americans
Immigration Equality: Immigrant rights organization helping LGBTQIA+ and HIV positive immigrants in the U.S. and around the world find safety and fair treatment
LGBTQ Freedom Fund: Posts bail for those held in jail or immigrant detention
National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance
The Okra Project: Supports Black trans folks by providing home cooked, healthy meals
SAGE an organization dedicated to improving the lives of LGBTQ+ elders
Services & Advocacy for LGBT Elders: Dedicated to advocating for the lives of our LGBTQIA+ elders
The Trevor Project: A charity dedicated to helping LGBTQIA+ youth in times of crisis