Celebrating Pride Month
June is Pride Month to celebrate Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex and Asexual (LGBTQIA+)
Pride Month is celebrated and recognized during the month of June. During this celebration, people come together to share their support for the LGBTQIA+ community while attending fun vibrant events that depict contributions and achievements made by those in this community.
The theme for this year’s Pride Month from the National Health Institute is “Pride in Belonging.” This theme highlights the importance of recognizing, embracing and uplifting the LGBTQIA+ community.
PAYWAND BAGHAL, MS1
What does Pride Month mean to you?
Paywand Baghal, a first-year medical student at the Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine at Texas Christian University, said that Pride Month, “is an opportunity to celebrate all of the friends that I have in the LGBTQI+ community and an opportunity to extra love on each other and to uplift one another in spaces where we may not feel that love for that advocacy from everybody.”
How do you celebrate?
Baghal said, “I love finding any events that are currently happening around me whether it’s a huge pride festival in that city or something that is maybe at a local bar or a local event community center of some sort. Any opportunity to celebrate and have some good food and drinks and get to be with my fellow queer friends.”
How can people raise awareness?
Paywand emphasized the importance of educating oneself on Pride Month. He said, it’s important “to advocate for those that are in your specific surrounding community and make sure that their voices aren’t quieted by any means, making sure that everybody is uplifted, especially during this month.”
JEANINE WILLIAMS, MS1
What does Pride Month mean to you?
Jeanine Williams, a first-year medical student at the Burnett School of Medicine, discussed what this month means to her. “Pride Month, means to me, just being able to be myself. Growing up in Jamaica, LGBT or being prideful is not something that is celebrated back home. Having that opportunity to actually celebrate myself as well as others around me, who want to be heard, who want to just be themselves, I think is very meaningful.”
How do you celebrate?
Williams talked about fun festivities back in Atlanta, Georgia, that she has enjoyed attending to celebrate pride. One of the events she mentioned she liked to go to is hosted at Piedmont Park where there are a lot of artists and markets you can shop. “I walked the Pride Parade last year with the Atlanta Hawks with my girlfriend at the time, now she’s my fiancé. It was a great opportunity to just be involved in that atmosphere and just be able to interact with others as well. There were parents out there who were giving out mom hugs or dad hugs and so, to me, that was great,” she replied.
How can people raise awareness?
Williams said it is important to be open and to hear what they have to say. Jeanine emphasized that it is crucial to listen to what the LGBTQIA+ community has to say even though you may not understand the terminology. “Especially because you may not know if someone around you is struggling with opening up about being a part of that community.”