One of the most beautiful things about the Pride and Joy Foundation is that it is “striving to build self-awareness within and safety for LGBTQ+ families and their allies.”  Let’s take a second to talk about how important allies are (hint: so freakin’ important!) to the LGBTQ+ community.  Let’s think about it this way - even if every member of a marginalized community banded together to fight for their cause, they would still be up against a majority, making change near impossible.  For any marginalized community, having strong ally support is integral in the fight for equality because allies allow for the community to show up in numbers and to prove that their cause isn’t only their own. 

But what does it mean to truly be an ally?  Queer sex educator and trauma specialist Jimanekia discussed in an Instagram video post her position on allies.  Though her post specifically references non-Black allyship within the Black...

Now that quarantine in my state is slowly starting to lift, I was excited to visit my local Target last week that I hadn’t been to in months (and by “local” I mean an hour away, because in Idaho that’s considered local).  After walking up and down a few aisles, I realized that there was absolutely no Pride display or any Pride merchandise being sold. 

When I lived in New Jersey, every year, a huge Pride display greeted customers as soon as they walked in the door.  This led me down a rabbit hole of thoughts surrounding Pride merchandise and the economics behind it. Some thoughts that came to mind -

1. How genuine are brands in supporting the LGBTQ+ community if they aren’t selling Pride merchandise in all of their stores?
2. How do brands decide which stores to sell their merchandise in?
3. Do brands actually support the community or are they just trying to capitalize on us during Pride month?
4. By choosing not to sell Pride merchandise in certain...

This week, here at the Pride and Joy Foundation, we are exploring the theme of "PRIDE: What does it mean to you?"  In this essay our intern Gabby offers her take...

It’s June, and that means PRIDE month is officially underway! For many members of the LGBTQ+ community, this is often a chance to celebrate PRIDE by attending various celebrations that often include navigating through crowds and crowds of allies and other members of the community who have come together to honor queerness in all its forms.  There is so much power in having that visual representation in front of us, assuring us that no matter what we may have experienced, we are certainly not alone.  This year, however, with the world in the middle of a pandemic, PRIDE might look a little bit different.

Just because we may not be able to be together as a community to physically celebrate this year, that definitely doesn’t mean that PRIDE should be forgotten.  In fact, I think this is giving...

Picture this: You grab your drink from the bar (or coffee place or soda shop counter).  You turn around and do a visual sweep to find the rest of your group.  Instead of finding your friends, you lock eyes with a stunning stranger.  You start chatting and laughing and boom!  That moment turns into the rest of your lives together.  I know so many people dream of a whirlwind romance like this one.   Let’s be real, though. These situations are rare enough as it is, and even more rare for members of the LGBTQ+ community.  How do we know for sure if those stunning strangers are actually into us or just eyeing our cute outfits?  

Thus, the world of online dating began, and since more and more people are meeting on the Internet or apps anyway, why not continue to use technology to our benefit during quarantine?  Enter distance dating!   I am married, so this option is off the table for me, but I have to admit, as someone...

As a middle school teacher in New Jersey, I was fortunate enough to work in the most diverse city in the nation and had little worry about my students finding out about my sexuality.  When I got married a few months into the school year, my 7th graders quickly found out it was to a woman.  As a middle school teacher, fostering relationships with each of my students was a crucial aspect of classroom management.  The more I was able to connect with them beyond the curriculum, the more likely I was to be able to focus on my curriculum during class hours.  So much of this connection, I quickly realized, was based on the intrinsic knowledge that my classroom was a safe space.  I had no idea how many students would crave the safe space that my classroom offered, or how many students I would encounter who were questioning, coming to terms with, or struggling with their sexuality.  I am honored to have been able to offer my students a judgment-free zone in...