Lez be real, friends. This has been an intense year for everyone in our community, and frankly, the intensity has peaked during this past summer of 2023.  From finding out SCOTUS made it legal for businesses to discriminate against us to Florida and.... well, that's all we need to say, just Florida.  We are all feeling huge concern for our LGBTQ+ youth heading back into the classroom this fall.  From parents to teachers to queer parents, the anxiety is big.

And we are here for you, fam!  We have several resources to support you right now, bringing you the LGBTQ+ experts, ideas, tips, and tricks so that YOU can make the best decisions possible for your LGBTQ+ kiddo.  

Starting with the most comprehensive, last fall we brought together 3 experts on supporting LGBTQ+ youth at school and featured them in a Pride and Joy Parents event.  That event lives in our Pride & Joy Parent (PJP) event replays, a course here on our website. 

Lots of the...

The Pride and Joy Foundation is very excited to introduce you to our recipients of the Leaders for Inclusive Change Grant, which was generously funded by the Gamma Mu Foundation. This six-week course will provide information, tools, and resources for anyone who wants to start a Gay Straight Alliance, Rainbow or other Diversity clubs at schools. 

After reviewing an exciting round of incredible applicants, the decision was not easy. Our Board of Directors has selected two LGBTQ+ educators, Ær Queen (they/them,fen/fens) and Nicholas Prosini (they/them), as facilitators of Leaders for Inclusive Change.  Ær (they/them,fen/fens) is a trans non-binary General Music teacher at Bradock Elementary School in Annandale, Virginia in Fairfax County Public Schools. They are a proud alumnx of Shenandoah Conservatory at Shenandoah University in Winchester, Virginia where they earned their Bachelor of Music in Music Education. Ær met Nicholas Prosini through...

A 90-Minute Workshop That Saves Young LGBTQ+ Lives

COVID-19 has had a profound impact on mental health in the United States. Although the last year has been a shared trauma, the data shows that these times have been especially detrimental for young adults. 

According to the CDC, young adults experienced an almost 15% increase in suicidal ideation during 2020. 

 

The data and events of the last year have made it clear that it’s more important than ever to equip our youth with suicide prevention tactics and skills to intervene when it’s needed most.  While suicide lifelines are helpful, people are more likely to reach out to their peers before they ask a stranger for help.

As part of our mission to reduce the rate of suicide in the LGBTQ+ community, the Pride and Joy Foundation regularly holds Ask. Listen. Plan. (ALP) workshops for college-aged individuals. These workshops are geared toward all young adults and provide tools, resources, and tactics...

Schools are the second important space for children (the first being home) which affects their overall growth and it plays a vital role in directing their mental development. It is important to look into how these schools work in nurturing and mentoring a healthy and socially responsible group of youth.

As Canada is a country that has a law and society that accepts the LGBTQ community, Canadian schools are also required to be inclusive in nature with regard to gender diversity and sexuality. With the law enforced and several efforts taken to make sure everything is perfectly executed, do all of the schools in Canada follow the provincial law and the right curriculum when it comes to LGBTQ? 

Unfortunately, the answer is NO.

There are a lot of issues in schools that need to be addressed. The root cause of most of the problems is lack of awareness. Some of the visible problems are discrimination against LGBTQ kids from other students as well as teachers, bullying, discrimination...