June is Pride Month

This June, we want to take time once again to celebrate pride month and draw attention to local and national resources for Boston’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer/Nonbinary community. We at the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) work to support individuals openly living their best lives and truest selves with the people they love, and work to be the best advocates we can be for their mental health and well-being.

Advocacy includes recognition of the past and present struggles of the resilient members of the LGBTQ+ community. The Boston Preservation Society highlights Boston’s long and complicated history with its LGBTQ+ community. The ACLU show the intensity and ongoing push across the country in this regularly updated map of anti-lgbt laws, focused largely on gender identity, education, and school “duty to report”.   Across the country transgender individuals especially continue to face intense scrutiny, anger, and in many cases legal persecution of rights, with numerous laws in many states being pursued to outlaw gender affirming care for transgender minors, so-called “bathroom bills”, and bans on participation in sports consistent with their gender identity.

Being aware of these ongoing struggles is a vital part of celebrating the acceptance and freedom of LGTBQ+ people in our city and their resiliency. We wish to take some time to highlight celebratory events, as well as support services for those who may be struggling. Listed below are resources and events for empowering, supporting, and celebrating pride month, as well as education for all who wish to learn more:

• Boston Pride:  The famous Boston Pride parade and festival returns June 8, 2024, focusing on empowerment, education, and commemoration of historic conflicts, achievements, and resiliency. Click the link for more information, as well as donation and volunteer opportunities.
• WGBH 2024 Pride Events: This helpful page lists many free and paid local and state area events celebrating pride month.  Be sure to also check out this list of paid local events as well.
• The Trevor Project: A vital well-recognized national support and resource group for young LGTBQ+ individuals, featuring online peer spaces, counselors, information and education pages, and more.
• The Greater Boston Suicide Prevention Coalition features an extensive support page with numbers and links for health centers, community resources, peer support groups, political advocacy groups, and more.
• Fenway Health, a pioneering provider of LGBTQ medical health and research since 1971, offers community resources and a regularly updated blog.
• The Boston Alliance of Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer Youth provides a resource page for LGBTQ youth, including housing, health care, and more. 
• GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders is a local legal advocacy group whose page that includes resources, news, and more.
• Q chat space provides a safe and anonymous online chat space for LGBTQ+ teenagers.
• The City of Boston, through the Mayor’s Office for LGTBQ+ advancement, is sharing a page with major pride-related events for this year, such as the pride parade on June 8.

From all of us at the EAP, have a safe and healthy pride month.