June is one of my favorite months out of the whole year. It’s the start of summer, but it’s also Pride month. I’m technically not a part of the “LGBTQIA+” community, but I also don’t consider myself 100% straight. I feel attraction to women, but I’m not sure if I’m bisexual? I fully support the LGBTQIA+ community and the endless fight for rights for all. I wanted to share a couple ways I support the LGBTQIA+ community excluding buying rainbow sequin outfits.

Not Spending Money on Rainbow Stuff

It’s not that buying rainbow themed stuff is bad, but buying rainbow clothes doesn’t necessarily go back to the LGBTQIA+ community. Some retailers are donating certain proceeds to various organizations. I did a quick google search and found this article on Mic which lists various companies who are giving back to the LGBTQIA+ community. Please spend money on this type of merchandise versus random rainbow stuff corporations are selling to capitalize on Pride month.

Supporting through charities or through purchasing art or books from LGBTQIA+ authors

To start this off, I wanted to share a kickstarter I recently backed by an LGBTQIA+ artist. Ari Mulch is a Minneapolis based artist who is on the LGBTQIA+ spectrum. I’m unsure of their identity, but I know they use they / them pronouns as their Twitter bio says. The Prometheite is a lesbian retelling of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein in a graphic novel format. Frankenstein is one of my all time favorite books in Gothic Literature, so when I stumbled upon this kickstarter, I knew immediately I had to back it. If this sounds like something you would be interested in, here’s the link to their campaign. Ari can be found on twitter or through their website. Please help me get this funded! Showing support for LGBTQIA+ art, books and media allows their stories to be told. It’s how we can grow to understand different identities under the LGBTQIA+ umbrella.

As far as charities go, I personally like the Trevor Project. The Trevor Project focuses on helping LBTQIA+ youth under the age of 25. It provides access to suicide prevention hotlines and community resources for those who need it.

Encouraging Corporations to Support LGBTQIA+ All Year Round Instead of in June Only.

Victoria’s Secret is in hot water because of recent comments made about supporting the LGBTQIA+ community. It’s great to pledge support, but this is also the same company who who said they wouldn’t hire trans or plus-size models because it wouldn’t “fit their fantasy.” This is what a lot of corporations will do. They will mean well when they say “Happy Pride.”, but it’s often filled with hypocrisy since that same company probably said something transphobic earlier in the year. I personally won’t shop at Victoria’s Secret because of their views and I encourage others to do the same.

Finally, I want to wish you all a safe and happy Pride.