After Pride: Being Queer the Rest of the Year

June in the Queer community is an experience. There is celebration, remembrance, and time to look to the future at what may come next for us. But what about after? What happens when the corporations roll up the rainbows, take off their pronoun buttons, and continue on? 

One of my favorite things about Pride month since moving to a major city has been the sense of security. I remember the sole rainbow flag that hung in my hometown, and how it always seemed to look new. I didn’t realize until I was older that it always looked new because it was constantly being ripped down, destroyed, and subsequently replaced. To exist in a space where businesses feel safe to openly display a rainbow flag still thrills me. And so in June, I always feel a little safer. More seen. But one out of twelve months of knowing where my safe spaces are is less than ideal. 

So how can allies show up for Queer folks the rest of the year?

Listen. Queer folks are the experts in our own lives, and of our own experiences. When someone trusts you enough to share their experience and identity with you, trust them, and thank them for recognizing you as a safe person to be themselves with.

Learn. Don’t put the burden of teaching you about the Queer community on Queer people. If there is something you don’t understand or have questions about, be willing to do research and learn from Queer led and supported sources, rather than asking one individual to be your token source of knowledge.

Advocate. Being different is hard. Being different and having no one to stand up for you and with you is harder. Be willing to correct coworkers, friends, and family members to protect the Queer people in your life and show them they have allies. 

Creating safe and affirming spaces takes active work on the part of all allies. When you are willing to take those steps to create a better environment for the people around you, you have the power to help them feel safe, loved, and seen- all year long.