Pride Month
Happy Pride from all of us at Serenity Zone!
Pride marches in the United States began one year after the Stonewall Uprising, with the first marches held in Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City. Today, Pride month is celebrated all over the world. Pride is the direct result of what can happen when people come together to fight for equal rights for all.
June might be Pride month, but how can we celebrate and support those in the LGBTQ community throughout the year? As therapists, we might use affirmative therapy, which is based on validating, advocating, and supporting the lived experiences of people. Anyone might feel anxiety coming into therapy for the first time, but often there is an added layer of trauma, anxiety, and fear when you belong to the LGBTQ community and are coming into therapy. Imagine being told your entire life that something is wrong with you, or that you need to hide certain parts of yourself to be accepted. That’s a scary reality in our world today. Through affirmative therapy principles, we attempt to validate the emotions, feelings, and experiences as you see them, not as we see them. After all, this is your experience, and that matters. You matter.
You do not need to be a therapist to put affirmative therapy principles into practice with your loved ones.
Here are a few quick tips on how to help support your LGBTQ friends and family not only during Pride, but every day of the year:
Welcome their lived experience: It’s human nature to think we understand what somebody has gone through, but what if you took in what somebody said, without making meaning from it? Allowing someone to tell you what their experience felt like for them, and affirming that what they feel is perfectly understandable, creates a safe space with you. Their experience matters, and more importantly, it matters the way they experienced it, rather than how you see it. Help them to feel seen, heard, and validated in the way they experience the world.
Ask questions: Showing your loved one that you want them to feel like they can talk to you might make all the difference in the world. As they are telling you what something felt like for them, asking open ended questions, could help them to feel safe talking to you. Rather than saying something like, “it wasn’t that bad”, try something like, “what did that feel like?”. Help them to feel heard without trying to fix it for them. Let them know that you’re there to listen and that you want to learn.
Advocate: This one relates to what you can do within your community to support your loved ones. In 2023, we have seen hundreds of bills introduced in various states that directly harm members of the LGBTQ community. Things like gender affirming care are important in helping members of this community live their most authentic lives. Speaking up in your community at school board meetings, city council meetings, and talking to your local government representatives all help to move the needle in the direction of best supporting loved ones who identify as LGBTQ. Pride began as a result of activism, but there is always more to be done.
