Pride Season is here!

Celebrating Pride can look different for everyone, and that’s the beauty of it. In this blog we’ll cover what it means to 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals in our communities and list some fun ways you can celebrate at work or with your kids.

How to Celebrate Pride Season

There are many ways to celebrate Pride, but a great place to start is education. Before you head off to that Pride event, take some time to learn about Pride in Canada and the core meaning of the month.

To start, what does 2SLGBTQIA+ mean? You’ve likely seen different iterations of this acronym, but 2SLGBTQIA+ stands for Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and/or question, intersex and asexual. In Canada, Pride Season runs from June through September, and celebrates 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, their resiliency and contributions to our society, culture and diverse cities.

There are historical events that have defined Pride as well. It emerged from the movement, protests and struggle for 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals to gain recognized rights and freedoms. In Canada the first protests of this kind took place in Ottawa and Vancouver in 1971, before spreading to more cities a couple years later. Pride Season in Canada kicks off with Pride Month, which features events of all shapes and sizes taking place across the country. The Pride Parade Weekend in Toronto is now one of the largest Pride events in North America.

The best part about Pride? Anyone can celebrate it. And Pride celebrations are becoming more common in spaces they haven’t been in the past.

Our workplaces are diverse places and are becoming better at recognizing and celebrating that diversity as a team. Recent societal progress has encouraged employers and workplaces to focus on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), and these are initiatives that are well-received by employees. Recognizing and celebrating Pride season at your workplace is a great way to incorporate DEI values into your company’s culture.

Pride is being celebrated at school too. Educating youth about Pride Season and its value is key to helping 2SLGBTQIA+ kids find more acceptance in their communities and with their peers.

Pride Activities for All

Whether you’re leading the charge in your workplace, thinking about Pride lessons for students, or looking for ways to celebrate with your family and friends, here are some ideas for activities this Pride Season:

  • Create Pride-themed artwork - this kind of self-expression can help everyone illustrate what Pride means to them personally.
  • Read a book or watch a relevant movie – there are many books and movies centered around 2SLGBTQIA+ experiences. Watching a movie or reading a book as a group can create a safe space to ask questions and see representation through these mediums.
  • Learn about 2SLGBTQIA+ organizations in your community – many of us are unaware of the  organizations in our cities that support the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and how we can support them. Think about organizing a group of friends or colleagues to volunteer or attend an event that supports a local organization.  For students, consider a research project to present to the larger group centered around raising awareness of the 2SLGBTQIA+ organizations in your community.
  • Inclusive language - a great Pride activity for kids is having them create signs that welcome others while using inclusive language. These could be hung in the front window of your home or around the classroom if you’re doing this with your students. 

 

Regardless of how you celebrate, we hope you can keep the spirit of Pride alive at home, work or school this Pride Season.