It’s the time of year for ERG leads and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Professionals to start preparing for the 2023 Pride season! For many orgs, this could be their first year jumping into the world of Pride, and it's really important that PRIDE events are authentic and provide value to the organization.
What is Pride?
Pride is the time of year when folx who identify and support the LGBTQQIAA2SP (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, Ally, Two-Spirit, Pansexual) Community come together through celebrations commemorating the Stonewall Riots; it's also a time to honor LGBTQ+ rights activists like Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera. The month of June is designated as Pride Month, but based on location, your local pride celebrations may occur between March and September. Check here to learn more about Pride celebrations worldwide!
Should My Org Hold a Pride Event?
In the spirit of diversity, equity, and inclusion, yes. Keep in mind that you’ll want your approach, focus, and event type to fit with your organization's level of support for the LGBTQ+ Community and allyship among employees. For example, if this is your fourth PRIDE event, a basic intro to the LGBTQ+ Community may not engage and encourage growth from your colleagues. An organization's first PRIDE event that is filled with too much terminology and too serious of a tone could cause folx to withdraw from the conversation. It’s important to find that balance. At Awesomely Authentic, we have found that a good blend for an introductory event is basic LGBTQ+ terminology, overview of history, and an upbeat tone with moments of self-refection and sincerity.
For employee resource groups, we have our newest training:
"Resiliency & Creating Community"
Includes: 45-minute content on Resiliency & Creating Community
15-minute Q&A Anonymous Google form link for Q&A Fee includes recording and sharing internally
Customized Virtual Pride Guide Learning Objectives: Identifying key steps to improving your workplace resiliency Creating a sense of community resiliency through employee resource groups (ERGs) Building relationships and an engaging safe space for underrepresented folx
Interested in learning more? Contact us info@awesomelyauthentic.com
Look for Collaborators
If you’ve never held a Pride event at your organization and you have no LGBTQ+ or diversity-related support, then you want to find collaborators and allies first. Do any of your colleagues have interest in a Pride event? If you feel comfortable, ask around and drum up some support. Try your best to find 2-3 others in your org who would want to help out.
Does your org have any employee resource groups or diversity committees? These do not need to be focused on just LGBTQ+ identities since the community intersects across many identities. If there are, ask if they’d like to help support a Pride event. This can also help broaden discussions on intersectionality.
Talk to Human Resources or Culture Teams and see what type of assistance they may be able to provide (funding, bandwidth to help out, insight into event types that do well at your org, etc.).
Set Clear Learning Objectives
Now that you have collaborators and support, you’ll want to gather information on what your learning objectives should be. With the help of your collaborators, you can connect your event to other goals of the business. Do the ERGs need to do a certain number of events each quarter? Is HR looking at adding more diversity content to their learning and development goals?
Engaging! Engaging! Engaging!
Our two most popular events are our PRIDE BINGO and Queer Vaudeville Showcase. Why? Because those events are engaging, entertaining, and educational.
Queer Vaudeville Showcase
3 LGBTQ+ Performers with a variety of musical, circus, artistic, and comedic talents drop into your customized learning vaudeville variety show. Entertain your folx, while educating them about the vast experiences of LGBTQ+ folx and types of allyship needed. Check out more here.
Give Back to the Community
One of the main things you want to do is give back to the community in some form or fashion. Find nonprofits to donate your time or money to. Create an ERG event where you and your ERG members volunteer with your local LGBTQ+ Center. You can check this link for a list of LGBTQ Centers that you can reach out to.
Some of our favorite nonprofit organizations include Campus Pride, Rainbow Railroad, Ali Forney Center, and Transcend Charlotte.
In the end, the goal of celebrating PRIDE is to support the LGBTQ+ folx at your org, make an impact in your local community, and offer some of the joy and reflection that Pride month brings.
Rest in power Marsha P. Johnson
