Celebrating Pride Month
You’ve probably seen and heard the words before…
But when you FEEL this truth, it gives you the courage to be who you are.
June is Pride Month, and at Trauma Responsive Monadnock, we’re focusing this month’s message on making sure every individual deeply feels:
- They’re not alone
- They’re not too much
- They’re enough just as they are
With the utmost acceptance, we’re empowering individuals to declare, “This is who I am!”.
It begins with each of us having the courage to love each other for who we are.
We also understand Pride Month can be complicated. It’s a month of pride and pain, courage and fear, visibility, and vulnerability. The resilience of Pride is woven through our history, and there’s still a need to protect those fighting to be seen, heard, and loved. Especially our youth.
A Brief History
Did you know…
- Pride Month is celebrated in June to honor the anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising (also known as the Stonewall Riots) in NYC on June 28th, 1969
- What began as a protest against police raids and brutality at the Stonewall Inn gay bar became a spark that ignited the modern LGBTQ+ movement
- The Stonewall Uprising marked a shift from passive acceptance to active resistance against discrimination and police brutality.
Six days of protests. A powerful moment of standing up and saying, “No more.” Today, Pride day is more than simply parades and colorful attire; it’s an act of visibility, resistance, and healing.
LGBTQ+ Youth and Mental Health
For LGBTQ+ youth, the healing is often hard-won. Discrimination, bullying, family rejection, social stigma, and the consequences thereof are still prevalent today.
Some heartbreaking statistics:
- LGBTQ+ youth experience higher rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicidal ideation than their non-LGBTQ+ peers
- According to the Trevor’s Project 2023 National Survey, 41% of LGBTQ+ youth seriously considered suicide in the past year (even higher for transgender/nonbinary youth)
- Also reported in the Trevor’s Project, 56% of LGBTQ+ young people who wanted mental health care in the past year were not able to get it
This isn’t because of who they are, there’s nothing flawed with who we are. It’s because of how they’re treated. Every time an individual is shamed, silenced, or rejected for being themselves, it reinforces a message of unworthiness, which can become a trauma they carry long into adulthood.
Affirmation and Acceptance Save Lives
“LGBTQ+ youth with at least one affirming adult in their lives reported significantly lower rates of suicide attempts.” -The Trevor Project
When a young person hears, “I love you as you are,” it challenges every lie they’ve ever believed about being broken or unworthy. Affirmation is trauma prevention.
One voice can change a life. Will it be yours?
Ways to Support LGBTQ+ Youth Throughout the Year (not just in June)
🌈 Be an Affirming Adult
Action steps: use respectful language, ask their pronouns, believe in them, and celebrate them.
🌈 Speak Up When You See Harm
Action steps: challenge homophobia, transphobia, and misinformation, whether at the dinner table or in a classroom.
🌈 Normalize Conversations Around Identity and Mental Health
Action steps: let youth know that talking about gender, sexuality, and emotions is safe and welcome.
🌈 Advocate for Safer Schools and Mental Health Resources
Action steps: Support inclusive curriculum, LGBTQ+ clubs, and trauma-informed services.
🌈 Educate Yourself
Action steps: learn about LGBTQ+ history, terminology, and how to be an ally, so the burden doesn’t fall on young people to explain.
Pride is a promise
In closing, Pride month is more than just a celebration. It’s a promise to protect, uplift, and affirm those who’ve been told they’re different, wrong, or don’t belong.
Pride month is our promise to help every young person feel deeply that:
You’re not broken. You’re not alone. You are enough.
“When all Americans are treated as equal, no matter who they are or whom they love, we are all more free.” –Barack Obama
Let’s keep working together to build a freer, safer world for all!
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