By Ashley Emerson (pronouns: she/her), Hammer Case Manager

From the bottom of my heart and from the DEI Council, Happy Pride Month!

This flag was designed by Daniel Quasar and includes the Trans Flag colors and Black and Brown stripes included to show support of the Black and Brown trans women who lead the first riots.

June is celebrated as LGBTQIA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and/or Questioning, Intersex, and Asexual and/or Agender) Pride month because of the anniversary of Stonewall Riots in 1969 in New York City.

It is celebrated with picnics, parades, parties, workshops, concerts, and memorials for those in the community lost to hate crimes or HIV/AIDS. The purpose of the month is to recognize the impact of the LGBTQIA+ individuals have had on history locally, nationally, and internationally. It is about visibility and inclusion.

Pride celebrations are a safe space for members of the community to be joyful and authentic. It is also a place where allies can show their support of the community. We see you; we hear you and we celebrate with you.

Minneapolis Pride (one of the larger Pride celebrations locally) starts as a Parade in Downtown Minneapolis that leads to a celebration in Loring Park. This year the Parade is cancelled and the celebration in Loring Park will be July 17 and 18.

Another way to honor members of the LGBTQIA+ community is to mainstream the pronoun conversation. Sharing our own pronouns (I am Ashley, I use she/her pronouns) with introductions to new people helps to normalize not making assumptions about someone’s outward appearance and gender expression. It is an invitation to honor someone’s identity by letting them tell you what their pronouns are. Some people are not on the binary of gender (male/female) and will go be they/them (or other gender-neutral pronouns). I am not an expert so I will uplift others’ voices.

This link includes YouTube videos by non-binary people: https://www.mypronouns.org/resources

Some additional sources that I used are here: https://www.mypronouns.org/what-and-why

Please feel free to reach out to me or anyone from the DEI Council if you have any questions or to share your Pride celebration stories!

Ashley Emerson at AEmerson@hammer.org if you want to connect with Ashley personally or to contact the DEI Council with ideas or feedback email deicouncil@hammer.org.