Pride is Forever: Your Guide to Activism with ENC in 2024
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Pride Month may be over, but Pride season is still underway in North Carolina, and we are excited to invite you to participate in our celebrations! Pride is so important for increasing LGBTQ+ visibility and power despite the structural discrimination many of us face daily. Pride connects our work with our faces and brings forth meaningful conversations about what equality and collective liberation should look like.
Equality NC has started Pride season with fun opportunities and changes. Our team has been popping up throughout the state, from Chapel Hill to Apex, Raleigh, Greensboro, and even the DMV! Ain’t no pride like southern pride! We’ve also had the fantastic opportunity to welcome new team members. As we grow, we’re excited to bring you more frequent site updates, like our event form and new resources like this one.
LGBTQ+ Pride Month (Referred to more commonly as simply “Pride Month”) traces its roots in the 1969 Stonewall riots, which started on June 28, 1969. In 1970, on the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, activists in New York City marched through Manhattan in what became known as the first Gay Pride Parade. Organized by the Eastern Regional Conference of Homophile Organizations and the Christopher Street Liberation Day Umbrella Committee, the march celebrated LGBTQ+ pride. Activist Craig Schoonmaker coined the term "gay pride" to emphasize self-respect over power. The New York City event on June 28, 1970, was a stunning success, with 3,000 to 5,000 participants marching from Greenwich Village to Central Park. Similar marches occurred that June in Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. (history.com, LOC.gov)
In June 2016, President Obama designated the Stonewall Inn and the surrounding area a national monument, making it the first national monument honoring LGBTQ rights. (NBC)
About North Carolina Pride
The origins of North Carolina Pride, now Triangle Pride, began with the 1980 “March Against Klan/Nazi Terror” in Greensboro, where gay and lesbian activists joined anti-hate protests, linking LGBTQ rights to the more significant civil rights movement. In 1981, the state’s first gay and lesbian march, “Our Day Out,” took place in Durham, leading to the first annual Pride march, “Out Today, Out to Stay,” in 1986. This event solidified the bond between the LGBTQ+ community and straight allies, fostering the growth of LGBT-friendly businesses and clubs in the Triangle area. The Triangle Gay and Lesbian Alliance (TGLA) was formed to maintain momentum. In 1988, the annual march officially became North Carolina Pride, and it rotated locations before settling in Durham in 2000. Other North Carolina cities, such as Charlotte, Wilmington, Asheville, Winston-Salem, and the Outer Banks, developed Pride celebrations in the early 2000s. Raleigh introduced the youth-focused “OutRaleigh!” festival in 2011. Today, you can find North Carolinians celebrating pride throughout the year. (NCDNCR.gov)
Pride season allows advocacy organizations like Equality North Carolina to amplify trans voices, celebrate diversity, and advocate for a more inclusive society. By using thoughtful and sensitive messaging, we can contribute to a culture of acceptance, respect, and equality for all gender identities. Let us use this season to uplift and support queer and trans power and solidify that we are here to stay and that the future is ours.
Get Involved
Here are some suggestions for participating and engaging with Pride season online and out and about. However you show up, we greatly appreciate it!
For our Queer and Trans Communities
Attend or organize an event: Attend a local pride event or organize your own. Equality NC aims to promote as many pride events as possible throughout the pride season. Follow our social media to stay updated, and if you organize your pride-related events throughout the season, submit an event form on our website. To learn how to volunteer with ENC throughout pride season, contact celeste@equalitync.org.
Take care of yourself and others: Use the season to prioritize self-care and community support online and in person. Navigating the level of discrimination can be draining and often feels never-ending. It's crucial to pour into yourself, your community, your family, and your joy work. Remember, ENC is here for you, which means we need you to be here. Your well-being is important, and taking care of yourself is a powerful act of resistance.
Advocate for change: Use your platform to advocate for legal and policy changes that promote justice for LGBTQ+ people. Urge your elected officials to support local and state policies that protect all people's rights and dignity, regardless of who they are and where they come from. To learn how to get involved in our advocacy efforts, contact zed@equalitync.org to learn more.
For Allies
Educate yourself: Take time to learn about some of the struggles impacting the LGBTQ+ community and understand the significance of pride season in the US and North Carolina. Education is the most effective measure in combatting anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric.
Support our trans and nonbinary community: PFLAG recently updated its “Guide to Being an Ally to Trans and Nonbinary People” to help you better understand the challenges many trans and nonbinary people face. Head to their site to learn how to be a more potent ally.
Take action: As an ally, you have the power to make a difference. Show your support for the LGBTQ+ community in tangible ways. This could involve speaking out against discrimination, advocating for inclusive policies locally, statewide, or nationally, or supporting LGBTQIA+ friends and colleagues. Every significant movement starts with individual actions like these. Together, we can create a more inclusive and equitable society.
Attend an event: Consider attending events supporting the LGBTQ+ community and volunteering your time or skills to help LGBTQ+-focused organizations achieve their mission. Contact celeste@equalitync.org to learn more about volunteering with ENC throughout pride season.
Donate: Consider donating to organizations that support LGBTQ+ individuals and promote their rights. Donations can help fund essential programs and services that support their well-being. To donate to ENC or the ENC Foundation, visit our website to learn more about ways to give and sustain our work.
Commit to Equality in North Carolina beyond Pride Month: Remember that being an ally is an ongoing process. It's important to continually educate yourself and engage in meaningful ways to support LGBTQIA+ communities worldwide. To learn how to get involved in our advocacy efforts, contact zed@equalitync.org.
Additional Resources
Below is a selection of resources you can access to learn and strengthen your efforts to support justice and power for LGBTQ+ North Carolinians. Head to the Resource Hub on our website for a more robust list of resources.
Find an LGBTQ+ center near you: CenterLink has a map of LGBTQ+ community centers throughout North Carolina. Locate your closest one to find resources specific to your region.
Trans in the South Guide: A Directory of Trans-Affirming Health & Legal Service Providers: Our partners at Campaign for Southern Equality have compiled this directory of more than 400 trans-affirming Southern health service providers. You’ll find lists of trans-friendly mental health providers, primary care physicians, HIV care specialists, attorneys, endocrinologists, and more across 13 Southern states. In addition to a virtual, searchable directory, they’ve compiled resources to assist with funding medical transition and helpful information about insurance coverage.
Get your young ones connected with Youth OUTright: Youth OUTright engages in intersectional and intergenerational dialogue focusing on gender and racial justice. Our work includes programming for youth ages 11-24, training for youth-serving organizations, and advocacy for policies that protect Queer and Trans youth. Head to their website to learn about the programs they offer.
The National Resource Center on LGBTQ+ Aging: The National Resource Center on LGBTQ+ Aging, a program of SAGE, is the country's first and only technical assistance resource center focused on improving the quality of services and supports offered to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender older adults, families, and caregivers. Established in 2010 through a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the National Resource Center on LGBTQ+ Aging provides training, technical assistance , and educationalresources to aging providers, LGBTQ+ organizations, and LGBTQ+ older adults.
Contact
For questions, comments, or suggestions for this compilation of resources, contact us at enc@equalitync.org.
