On Pride, Visibility, and The Next Generation

As we kick off this year’s Pride Month we must reflect on history and give credit where credit is due. At this time last year, we were gearing up to participate in WORLD PRIDE NYC. As we celebrated and honored the history of Pride Month and the fiftieth anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, we felt hopeful and empowered with what we could do next.

It was the Stonewall Riots that put the LGTBQ+ civil rights movement in high gear. And at the center of this fight were our black and brown brothers and sisters, leading us forward to a more just world.

More than five million people attended the 2020 event. Think about that, for a second. Five million people. (In the world of social distancing this feels like a fantasy).

Another fantasy? To be able to tell this girl growing up in the 80s and coming of age in the 90s that she would reach that level of support, community and acceptance later in life. Visibility – the act of seeing ourselves in others - matters. The continuous work of increasing visibility in media (around 10.2% of characters on broadcast identified as LGTBQ+ which is the highest it has ever been) and in the tech industry is an important job we ALL contributed to and should keep pushing for.

For this little brown lesbian, it would have meant everything to see or hear someone like me as an SVP of a company, a house representative, a broadcaster on the radio or as a complex character in a major film. We have come a long way from one generation to another. Giving a voice to those without one, and supporting each other so that our company reflects the world we see around us is key. So, look around, ask the hard questions, offer a hand, and PASS THE MIC.

You can too be a part of how we make change. THIS is the time to show up and do what is right. While supporting the LGTBQ+ community let’s remember our Black family is STILL out there TODAY fighting for their human rights. What would Martha P Johnson or Sylvia Rivera do?

Start Here: Black Vision Collective SNaPCo Black AIDS Institute Trans Cultural District LGBTQ+ Freedom Fund House of GG Trans Justice Funding Project The Okra Project Youth Breakout

Listen Here: Black x LGBTQ: Affiliates & Allies In celebration of Black Music Month & LGBTQ Pride Month, Pandora has compiled a comprehensive list of music-related affiliates & allies that exist within the intersectionality of both communities. These strong voices all speak for themselves across multiple genres like hip-hop, R&B, soul, pop, dance, house, etc. From contemporary to classic, it's all unapologetically BLACK x LGBTQ.

Find LGBTQ+ Pass the Mic content here:

• Podcast: Kristen Ellis-Henderson and Her ~~All-Female Rock~~ Band
• Mini Interview: Cameron Esposito, Comic, Writer, Actor & Author
• Artist Feature: Madame Gandhi
• Artist Feature: Left At London
• Artist Feature: Quay Dash