Maybe you’ve already started Celebrate Pride Month as a family, be it by talking to your kids about what it means to identify yourself as LGBTQ, looking for local events, or orienting yourself on the rainbow handicrafts and baked goods. But if your child identifies as LGBTQ, you may be wondering what else you can or should do to get the month recognized.
Ask them how they want to party
First of all, it’s important to recognize that while you can have all of the ideas in the world, paint your home in rainbow colors, and make a list of all the local events you can attend together, your celebrations should ultimately reflect your child’s needs and feelings. Perhaps they want the whole family to pile up in the car to head to the local Pride festival – or they might prefer to go with a friend (or not partying at all). Tell them that you want to acknowledge the month and celebrate their individuality, but also that you want to respect their boundaries or priorities.
You may already have some ideas or you may not want to do much. Follow their example in this regard – but if you’re looking to celebrate or acknowledge the month and aren’t sure how, here are some ideas to suggest or implement yourself.
Offer to have a Pride party
You’re – hopefully – ready (and happy) to attend any Pride events they want to go to, but if they prefer to keep the celebration smaller and more private, you can offer to have your own Pride party at home too organize. Who you might want to invite or what this party might look like depends on whether you’re with family and friends – and how supportive those family and friends have been.
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You can plan the celebration in any way that makes most sense for you, from a loud, colorful party to a small gathering of your closest and most supportive loved ones.
Host an LGBTQ family movie night (or nights)
Chances are there are a number of films exploring modern LGBTQ history that you’ve never seen before: Now is the time! How Ross Johnson recently wrote for Lifehacker:
There are as many ways to explore queer history as there are people who have lived it and many legends that we have almost forgotten that would be known in a fairer world. History can provide inspiration and it can also help us avoid making the same damn mistakes over and over again – mistakes like forgetting that trans people were at the forefront of homosexual liberation.
Pride is a time to celebrate, honor and remember all of it, whether you are trans, bi, ass, poly, pan, intersex, nonbinary or anywhere else on the gender and sexual identity and expression spectrum … proud to support your queer friends.
Johnson has compiled a list of 30 of the most important queer films of all time, the can be found here. Have everyone in the family pick a movie (or three), pop popcorn, and start watching.
Think how inclusive your own home is
It’s great to talk to your child about how they recognize the month, but pride is something that should extend throughout the year, especially in your home. Inclusivity, love, and support are things they need in July and August as well and you may inadvertently not show them these things.
Be aware that your own language may need to be updated to become more inclusive. You may want to use more terms like “partner” or “significant other” in place of boyfriend or girlfriend and avoid making things too gender specific by describing them as “girly” or “masculine”. And definitely, definitely use their preferred pronouns.
If the predominant imagery in your home represents straight cis people, look for ways to diversify and incorporate more inclusive imagery and media into your daily life. You can also donate to support an LGBTQ organization in honor of your child – and tell them you did.
