AHSC 2021 Pride Campaign

As June nears its end, the AHSC members want to show you how they’ve been celebrating Pride month! We remind everyone that Pride isn’t only a month-long celebration--we can continuously (and proudly!) encourage confident self-expression, love, and acceptance no matter the time of year.

We Asked You

Starting on June 22 and ending on June 25, we asked the following questions on our Instagram and Facebook stories, to allow interactive and inclusive experience of discussing Pride, its importance, and how to celebrate it even after the month is over. Afterwards we posted the top responses on our Social media platforms.

DAY 1: What do you love about queerness/Pride?

Encourages us to understand and celebrate differences in sexuality, love styles, and culture :)
Celebrating the expansion beyond (usually gendered) boundaries 🏳️‍🌈
It’s a time where many feel like they can be unabashedly themselves — which is amazing
Being unapologetically myself <3
The fact that love/sexuality is so much deeper and so much more than binaries
How it encourages individuality along with acceptance! Fosters a more open minded world
The on-going fight and passion for human equity! 🏳️‍⚧️🌈
It takes on a different significance for everyone
The love and acceptance that comes with others who are also part of the community
The compassion, understanding, and joy that we offer each other

DAY 2: Why should Pride be celebrated and what do you do to celebrate or support trans/queerness in your life?

To respect those that have laid a path for our safety and freedom and normalize queer expression
Pride celebrates something beautiful—everyone deserves to feel comfortable with who they are!
I like to support LGBTQ2S+ small businesses and read books by LGBTQ2S+ authors
It’s important to celebrate pride so that everyone feels comfortable being their true self
I try to support others as an ally by not ignoring when my friends are misgendered!

DAY 3:

‘FOR NON-QUEER INDIVIDUALS’: What are you actively doing to a better ally?

Normalizing queerness, queer love and existence in conversations with others
Confronting my own oppressive thought, behaviours and tendencies
Educating myself on queerness and supporting LGBTQ2S+ small businesses and authors!
Think of being an ‘ally’ as less of a label but more of an action: what can I continue to do?

‘FOR QUEER INDIVIDUALS’: What can non-queer individuals actively do to support queerness and transness/their lives and communities

Try to use less queer terms as slang in everyday language
Breaking down heteronormativity and the binary at an interpersonal level!
Constantly ask yourselves: who’s not in the room? Who’s not being heard?

DAY 4: Do you have any recommendations for literature/film/art created by queer and/or Indigenous individuals?

LGBTQ
- Music
  - ‘Serenade’ the album
- Film
  - Call Me By Your Name (also a book by André Aciman)
- Books
  - Nature Poem by Tommy Pico
  - One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
  - Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Saenz
- Queer Writers:
  - Audre Lorde
  - Judith Butler
  - Gabby Rivera
Indigenous
- Books:
  - Kiss of the Fur Queen by Tomson Highway
  - The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline
  - This Place: 150 Years Retold by Multiple Contributors
- Indigenous Writers:
  - Alicia Eliott
  - Carol Rose GoldenEagle

AHSC Pride Resources

Resources to utilize in learning of the various important elements and related initiatives of Pride. AHSC's Equity Portfolio has provided a list of Resources to learn more about the LGBTQIA+ community and about becoming a better ally.