June is Pride Month

This June, we want to take time to celebrate pride month and draw attention to organizations devoted to serving Boston’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer/Nonbinary community.    We at the 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.



It is important to highlight the challenges that this community has historically faced, and the resiliency it is forced to have to this day.  The Boston Preservation Society highlights Boston’s long and complicated history with its LGBTQ+ citizens. While Massachusetts became the first state in 2004 to legalize gay marriage, this was in large part due to advocacy, resiliency, and strength of the activism of the state’s LGBTQ+ community.  Across the country transgender individuals are currently facing intense scrutiny and in many cases persecution, 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.     In addition, there is a renewed push in many states to censor education and access to literature on sexual orientation and gender identity.     

Ultimately, in spite of these backward steps, we wish this month to be a celebration of the acceptance and freedom of LGTBQ+ people in our city, as well as highlighting 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 10^th, 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.
• 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, political advocacy groups, and more.
• 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 is a safe online chat space for LGBTQ+ teenagers.
• The City of Boston’s Pride 2023 page, run by the Mayor’s office for LGTBQ+ advancement, shares a list of pride events and more.
• Fenway Health, a pioneering provider of LGBTQ medical health and research since 1971, offers community resources and a regularly updated blog.
  
   

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