June is Pride Month, which commemorates the 1969 Stonewall Riots, the tipping point for the gay liberation movement. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, most in-person Pride events were canceled to protect the health and safety of attendees. As a result of these cancellations, non-profits, community groups, and local establishments that rely on funding from Pride will not be able to raise money that they need to help their communities throughout the year.
This only gives us more reason to donate to local and national LGBTQ groups. Below are a few that need your continued support, now more than ever.
The Human Rights Campaign
As the largest LGBTQ advocacy group, the Human Rights Campaign lobbies for pro-LGBTQ political candidates and education. The Human Rights Campaign works to pass anti-discrimination, HIV/AIDS advocacy, and adoption equality legislation.
Pride Foundation
The Pride Foundation helps create a more equitable world for those in the Northwest. It provides LGBTQ students with financial and community support through scholarships, and helps local organizations and businesses with their needs.
Happy Hippie Foundation
Founded by Miley Cyrus, the Happy Hippie Foundation works to help homeless and LGBTQ youth by providing them education and job opportunities, as well as giving homeless youth socks and underwear. Happy Hippie also works with disaster relief, and provided counseling to young people after the Pulse Nightclub shooting.
Howard Brown Health
Serving over 35,000 people annually, Howard Brown Health works to end the disparity in medical resources given to members of the LGBTQ community. Howard Brown Health provides medical and mental health services, HIV/AIDS prevention initiatives, as well as youth and elder services to the people of Chicago.
Drag Queen Story Hour
Drag Queen Story Hour brings drag queens to local libraries, schools, and bookstores to read to young children. Kids are taught to celebrate diversity and accept people of all gender identities. Young children are able to gain positive role models who do not fear being themselves.
GLSEN
GLSEN is the leading educational organization with a goal to make schools into safer environments for LGBTQ students—ones free of bullying and harassment. GLSEN puts its funding into providing resources to educators and developing solutions.
Masjid al-Rabia
Masjid al-Rabia in Chicago uses education to help empower Muslim members of the LGBTQ community. Masjid al-Rabia strives to create a fully inclusive Islam by providing resources and weekly prayer services for all. In addition, the community center hosts events and advocates for the needs of Muslim women, queer and transgender people.
The Trevor Project
The Trevor Project provides resources for LGBTQ youth, including crisis intervention and mental health services. Founded by the creators of the 1998 short film TREVOR, the Trevor Project has helped hundreds of thousands of LGBTQ with suicide prevention resources including 24-hour text, phone, and web hotlines.
Keshet
Keshet is a nonprofit that helps equip Jewish organizations with the resources to create safe spaces for LGBTQ people, namely advocating for the advancement of LGBTQ-affirming legislation.
National Black Justice Coalition
Dedicated to the empowerment of Black LGBTQ individuals, the National Black Justice Coalition works to end the stigma around being black and LGBTQ, or living with HIV/AIDS. It acts as the intersection of civil rights leaders and LGBTQ advocates.
Immigration Equality
Immigration Equality is the leading LGBTQ immigrant rights organization that provides free legal services to those seeking asylum, plus support for binational couples, detained people, and the undocumented. Since legal counsel is not guaranteed to those in immigration court, Immigration Equality provides the resources that allow people to get the representation they need.
Pride Fund to End Gun Violence
The Pride Fund to End Gun Violence is a Political Action Committee that supports candidates at all levels of government who advocate gun reform, while championing LGBTQ safety. Founded in the wake of the 2016 Pulse Nightclub shooting, this PAC calls for changes in gun legislation to prevent meaningless deaths in the LGBTQ community.
LGBTQ Victory Fund
The only organization dedicated to electing members of the LGBTQ people into government, the LGBTQ Victory Fund was founded in 1991. There are many barriers to getting elected, and queer and trans people often experience many of these. The LGBTQ Victory Fund works to provide financial, campaign, and communications support to candidates to increase representation.
Transgender Law Center
The Transgender Law Center is the largest national trans-led organization that uses advocacy, litigation, and education to help transgender individuals. It works to prevent the abuses of transgender people in prisons, and helps them have adequate representation in a court of law.
By supporting these groups in June, and throughout the year, it helps to champion diversity and work to increase the visibility of this community and the struggles we face.