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 want to show my support in any way that I can. I wanted to share what I’m doing this month
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 merchandise versus the random rainbow stuff corporations are selling.
Supporting through charities or through purchasing art or books from LGBTQIA+ authors
To start off, I wanted to share a Kickstarter I recently backed by an LGBTQIA+ artist. The Prometheite is a lesbian retelling of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein in a graphic novel format. The Prometheite was created by Ari Mulch. 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.
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 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 want to wish you all a safe and happy Pride.
Bizarre Brunette 
Great post! I’m typically suspicious of big corporations who support LGBTQIA one time of the year by releasing rainbow-inspired products. I’ll only buy from a bigger company if they have a good standing like the profits go to LGBTQ communities or they support trans-rights, etc. But it’s always better and easier to support LGBTQ directly.
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I wish corporations would support LGBTQIA+ rights all year instead of one month
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