Organization Spotlight for Pride Month
“On a hot summer night in 1969, police raided the Stonewall Inn, a bar located in New York City’s Greenwich Village that served as a haven for the city’s gay, lesbian, and transgender community.” (History.com)
The Stonewall Riots are not the first time people who are LGBTQIA+ stood up against police harassment, but they are typically pointed to as the start of the modern Gay Pride Month movement. At that time in America, “homosexual acts remained illegal in every state except Illinois, and bars and restaurants could get shut down for having gay employees or serving gay patrons.” (History.com) Additionally, police raids on well-known LGBTQIA+ bars were very common. This kind of long-term harassment finally led to resistance, then sustained advocacy for LGBTQIA+ rights in America.
After the Stonewall Riots advocates organized a march in Central Park and adopted the theme of Gay Pride, to defy the prevailing attitude of shame gender identity and sexual orientation. Since then, Pride month has expanded and taken on a life of its own. Different parades, protests, celebrations and demonstrations occur in cities all over the world, each with a distinctly local flair.
“InterPride is the international organization that advances the Pride movement by coordinating with global partners that share our values” (Interpride.org) Most major Pride celebrations across the country are still supported, organized by, or promoted by InterPride. As part of their work, they assist in the organizing of events worldwide and produce educational resources surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion. They also provide grant funding for humanitarian aid, scholarships, and other Pride-like organizations around the world.
The Marsha P. Johnson Institute (MPJI) and the Sylvia Rivera Law Project
Marsha P. Johnson was an “activist, self-identified drag queen, performer and survivor.” She was at the original Stonewall riots and played a crucial role in leading the resistance that night and moving forward. She, along with her friend and fellow drag-queen Sylvia Rivera quickly founded S.T.A.R. or the Street Transvestite Action Revolution to help homeless LGBTQIA+ youth. That organization is no longer operating, but the MPJI carries on her legacy by providing services like a crisis hotline, a network of therapists, and other local community resources.
The Sylvia Rivera Law Project “works to guarantee that all people are free to self-determine gender identity and expression, regardless of income or race, and without facing harassment, discrimination or violence.”
Both of these organizations are in the namesake of the often-forgotten heroes of the Gay Pride movement, and they remind us that at the center of this worldwide movement were Black and Latinx transgender women.
The Point Foundation empowers promising lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer students to achieve their full academic and leadership potential – despite the obstacles often put before them – to make a significant impact on society. In the 2021/2022 school year the Point Foundation is supporting 403 students through financial support, mentorship and leadership training across the country. Since their founding in 2001 they have provided over 500 scholarships, making Point the “nation’s largest scholarship-granting organization for LGBTQ students of merit. Point alumni include elected officials, doctors, scientists, filmmakers, authors, lawyers, academics, business professionals and entrepreneurs.”
Local Community Centers:
In addition to the many advocacy and policy organizations, there are also many community centers locally funded which focus on providing local resources to people in this community. For example, the Center on Halsted is in the heart of Boystown in Chicago, IL and provides a wealth of resources, and more importantly a safe community for people to live and grow. If you are looking for other places to give, or volunteer, we recommend looking up similar community centers in your local area.
