How to Celebrate Pride as An Ally

Pride month is here! This is a time to celebrate the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and connect with loved ones and new friends, queer people and allies alike. Here are some local events in the Waterloo-Wellington area, where everyone is welcome:

• Grand River Pride, Cambridge - events start as early as June 1st, with a Street Party on Main Street in Galt (just a few blocks from the Clarity office!) on June 14th from 1-8pm.

• Tri-Pride, Kitchener/Waterloo - SummerFest is Saturday June 7th from 12-8pm at Willow River Park, Kitchener.

• Ayr Pride, Ayr - their second ever pride celebration is next month on July 12th in Centennial Park.

• Guelph Pride, Guelph - events starting June 5th, with Pride in the Park (Exhibition Park) on June 14th from 10am-4pm.

• Midnight Earth Events to support queer artists at Gaukel Block, Kitchener, June 20th-21st.

Being an ally means taking action and showing up for the queer community, during pride month, and all year round.

We need you, and we need the love and support to last beyond just the fun celebratory times. This includes showing up for everyone in the queer community, including trans, non-binary, intersex, disabled, unhoused, Two Spirit, Indigiqueer, Black, and racialized queer people. Pride is intersectional, and would not exist without all of these people.

Here are some ways you can put allyship into action for the queer community (and as part of the queer community) during pride month and beyond:

Education

• Educate yourself on diverse 2SLGBTQIA+ experiences; Spectrum, Out on the Shelf, and Rainbow Health Ontario have amazing online resources and workshops.

• Advocate for your workplace to participate in an intro workshop from the above agencies. I also offer a workshop on this!

• Follow queer activists, news outlets, such as Pink News, Gay Times, Them, drag artists, and creatives.

Affirmation

• Use people’s chosen pronouns, names, and identifiers. If you don’t know what they are, just ask, or offer your own, such as: “Hi, I’m Monika, my pronouns are she/her.” This is a really simple and effective way to show up for gender diverse people on a day-to-day basis.

• Correct people if you notice the incorrect pronouns, name, or identifiers being used (and that person has asked/okayed for these to be used), whether that person is there or not. This can be exhausting for gender diverse people to always have to do on their own.

• Apologize if you make a mistake with this, mistakes happen! We all make them. Apologize, correct yourself, and move on, without making a big deal of it. Practice makes progress, and the effort is often appreciated.

Inclusion

• Use gender inclusive language when talking about people in general, e.g. asking about partners, parents, children, etc.. This goes a long way to make everyone feel welcome and included.

• Use gender neutral pronouns (they/them) and identifiers (e.g. "that person") if you’re not sure what pronouns someone uses; making an incorrect guess can be really harmful.

• Consider and advocate for queer inclusion and belonging in all spaces, including schools and workplaces, such as gender neutral washrooms, and including queer voices, stories, and media.

Support

• Support queer artists and businesses, especially when buying pride merch.

• Stop supporting overtly transphobic, homophobic, racist, and ableist people and companies. By giving them your money, you send the message that these forms of oppression and discrimination are okay, and indirectly fund oppressive policies that they financially support.

• Donate to 2SLGBTQIA+ community resources and initiatives, such as the agencies listed above. This is a way to directly give back to queer people in your community.

• Work towards allyship through action for Black, Indigenous, racialized, disabled, and unhoused people and communities. Pride includes everyone.

Part of our contribution to equity-deserving communities is through our equity sliding scale pricing. We provide queer and gender-affirming therapy, and offer free 20 minute consultations, virtually and in-person, if you're curious about counselling and how we can support you. Learn more about our counsellors, services, and find 2SLGBTQIA+ resources on our website. We wish you a safe, affirming, and happy pride 🤍🏳️‍⚧️🌈