The meaning of Pride in 2024

Pride Month is an annual celebration of the LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex, ace and others) community and it takes place in June.

While Pride is mainly a celebration of identities, it also has a deeper meaning and if you want to be a better ally to the LGBTQIA+ community, firstly understand the origins of Pride. You could be forgiven for thinking it must have started as a party. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. June was originally chosen to commemorate the legacy of protest and political struggle that made it safe to do so. The Stonewall riots in1969 were seen as the beginning of the fight for equal rights and the queer people of colour, like Stormé DeLarverie, Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera all played key roles.

It’s celebrated now as a symbol of progress, and it’s a time to recognise the many challenges still faced. This month Grant Thornton is showing their support, through social events and attending Pride parades, but we support the rights of our LGBTQIA+ colleagues every day. However, we’re witnessing a concerning trend of criticism and social media pressure and a polarisation of views that continues to impact the rights and mental health of our LGBTQIA+ community.

What can we do to be better as Allies?

• Bring People Along. Allies in positions of power who have taken time to understand the experience of the community and are able to influence change. Progress is not achieved without learning to adapt.
• Change the Process. We can’t always remove bias from the human brain, but we can change policy and process so that it’s fair for everyone, especially the most marginalised.
• Challenge Bias. Recently, a cis friend posted that fellow cis people were welcome to private message her if they had questions about recent trans stories in the news. Actions like this; taking the initiative to offer your time, shifts some of the responsibility to educate and explain away from LGBTQ+ people. This is active, meaningful and often hard allyship.
• Be conscious of your language and I don’t just mean LGBTQIA+ terminology. Allyship is not knowing it all and never making mistakes. That’s impossible. It’s putting in the effort whether it’s a new name, a new pronoun, or using gender-neutral language in general, e.g. about someone’s partner, to avoid making assumptions. When I first started working with a non-binary team member, I practised their pronouns in private. I found it hard to unlearn familiar speech patterns but respecting someone’s pronoun was important to my values, so I practiced until I got it right. Just occasionally now I might slip up. When this happens, I apologise quickly and move on. These things happen and it’s our intentions and our reactions that matter more than the honest mistake.
• Keep listening, watching, learning. a range of LGBTQIA+ news outlets available online: PinkNews Gay Times, podcasts and stories that help to explain perspectives and promote understanding Real Life Stories: Being Openly LGBTQ+ at Work – video with Geff Parsons talking about how LGBTQ+ role models in the workplace enabled him to feel safe to come out at work.
• Ensure compassion is the anchor to all debate, that we seek to understand perspectives and recognise the impact these issues continue to have on resilience and the mental health of our colleagues.

As we stand fast in support of our LGBTQIA+ colleagues this month, let’s remember the deeper meaning and continue to support them in gaining fairness and belonging in our society.

?