LGBTQAI+ Allyship Month Colby Food Celebration

“It takes no compromise to give people their rights … it takes no money to respect the individual. It takes no political deal to give people freedom. It takes no survey to remove repression.” – Harvey Milk   

“When all Americans are treated as equal, no matter who they are or whom they love, we are all more free.” – Barack Obama  

“This world would be a whole lot better if we just made an effort to be less horrible to one another.” – Elliot Page 

PRIDE month is celebrated in June to honor the Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan on June 28, 1969. On that morning, New York City police raided the Stonewall Inn, a known gay club. Club patrons were roughly and inhumanly removed from the bar, which led to six days of protest in the city. The uprising served as a catalyst for the gay rights movement in the United States and around the world.  

The first PRIDE march was June 28 1970, one year after the Stonewall Uprising. Since then, millions of people around the world, gather in June to celebrate love, advocate for equality and participate in allyship.   

Recent concerns over the commercialization and exploitation of PRIDE celebrations:  

“As PRIDE has grown, so has commercial and corporate influence. That’s led to concerns that Pride is moving away from its protest roots and becoming a party, at a time when there’s still a lot of work to be done – not just for the LGBTQ+ community, but for communities that overlap.  

“For years, organizers have raised concerns about the prominence of corporate logos at PRIDE, and about the money pouring in from wealthy companies. Of particular concern is the participation of politicians and corporations that don’t have LGBTQ+ interests at heart. In San Francisco, for example, organizers were outraged to see that the local Pride event was partially funded by Google, despite the company’s refusal to fully address homophobic harassment on its YouTube platform.  

“In response, activists have established independent Pride events in many cities. They have a variety of names, such as Alternative Pride or Queer Liberation March or Reclaim Pride. Those events take the form of raucous protests, sometimes disrupting the orderly, wealthy, corporate funded events to remind everyone that Pride is about more than just rainbows – it’s about radical change.” Used from The Complete Story of Pride 

How to be an LGBTQAI+ ally at work and in the community: 

• Hold coworkers, management, and leadership accountable. Your privilege may come in the form of race, gender identity, career choice, or current role. Recognize you have it and use it to create meaningful change.  

• Be a safe space. Sometimes the best thing we can do is to listen without judgement, and provide an outlet for folks to share their experiences, voice concerns, or just plain vent. Being there for each other is valuable emotional labor.   
•  Educate yourself as an LGBTQ Ally. Learning the LGBTQ community’s history and current events will give you a fundamental understanding of their challenges in the workplace, while also providing you with a few lessons on how to be an LGBTQ ally. Reliable resources include HRC, GLAAD (formerly the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation), the Equality Federation, and the National LGBTQ Task Force.  
• Use gender-neutral greetings. Many people make the mistake of assuming a person’s gender identity by using gender-specific greetings like, “Hey, man!” Until you know someone’s personal gender pronouns, go with gender-neutral pronouns. For example, the next time you send an email to your team or lead a meeting, open with a gender-neutral introduction. Instead of saying, “Hi, ladies and gentlemen,” go with a simple “Hi, everyone” or “Hello, teammates.”  

To celebrate allyship with our LGBTQAI+ caregivers, join us on June 6 and 7 at the Colby Campus cafeteria.  

Colby Campus LGBTQAI+ Representation and Celebration Menu: 

• Rainbow Veggie Flatbread Pizza 
• Antipasti salad 
• Rainbow fruit skewers 
• Rainbow Funfetti cupcakes 

Pastoral Statement of Inclusivity:  

Providence is happy to share our Sponsors statement that takes an intentional stance on updating and addressing Providence’s mission, which includes a formal statement that, “we are committed to addressing the unique challenges presented in attending to the concerns of people who identify as lesbian, gay, or transgender. ” To read the full statement, click here  

We also humbly acknowledge that addressing these challenges also includes acknowledging many injustices our LGBTQAI+ community has not only seen in the larger society but also within religious institutions. We understand that religion has played a unique role in propelling different levels of trauma among our LGBTQAI+ community. In the spirit of reconciliation, we hope that this statement is only just the first steps to reconciling these injustices. 

If you have questions about this food celebration of PRIDE, please reach out to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee Lead Brooke Chhina at [email protected] and check out our June Learning Board HERE.