I’m going to ask you to donate money. Before you click away, give me a chance to woo you into seeing the world a little more colorfully.
We all have moments where we realize that we are spectators in other peoples’ lives, where we notice we are the background character to their main character, and maybe not even that.
Pride month is a time where diversity is in full display in the public eye, where it is apparent that even among the community, people have wildly different lives with threads of commonality. For nonmembers, the month can serve as a reminder of the ways in which people are different.
We are not that separate though, because even background characters have a place in the plot.
Oh, But the Children
One of the ways humanity is humanity is the way it cares for and about children.
However, LGBT+ youth are very overrepresented in the unhoused youth population, making up anywhere between 20% and 40% of the group.
Jackson Street Youth Services, a nonprofit serving Linn, Benton, and Lincoln Counties, is dedicated to offering youth a safe place to live. It also has programs designed to offer support in other ways, one of which being a support group called Queer Peers.
Home is not the only place where the younger generation may be struggling. That is why the Oregon Safe Schools & Communities Coalition (OSSCC) works to provide support statewide for LGBT+ students who face bullying and harassment for their identity. It’s made up of everyone from teachers to members of the healthcare community, all working to ensure the best future for children.
Trans Rights[Text Wrapping Break]The OSSCC is not the only organization fighting for more community changes.
In fact, for more than 20 years, Basic Rights Oregon has been fighting for equality for LGBTQ+ Oregonians by creating a political movement to influence policy and shift public opinion.
The sheer number of anti-trans state bills this year highlights the current need for political actions that protect rather than harm.
Education about the Transgender community is vital to ensure an equitable national, and that works starts with individuals. TransPonder, a grassroots organization founded and led by transgender people based out of Eugene, provides support, resources, and education both for and regarding gender diverse people. Additionally, it offers inclusivity training and consults for businesses and organizations.
At this point, there is no such thing as too much support for the trans community. The Mid-Willamette Trans Support Network was also founded by and for trans people to provide for the needs and security of other gender diverse people. It does this by using support networks, collaboratively sourced donations, and emergency grants.
We Are Our History
Pride is more than celebrating diversity of gender and sexual orientation. Discrimination did not stop because pride month was created or because people can get married to their partner regardless of gender. We are not disconnected from history, and though we have come so far, we have such a way to go.
The HIV Epidemic robbed the LGBTQ+ community in so many ways, one of which being that there are fewer elders to look up to. That is one of the reasons the work of the Cascade AIDS Projects is so important. CAP is a three-decade old, community-based provider of HIV services, housing, education and advocacy. It is both the oldest and largest project of its kind.
But in looking at the roots and history of pride, it is also vital to note all the work put into the present by trans women of color like Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera. Intersecting identities, like that of gender, sexuality, and race, mean so much in terms of how members of those groups are treated.
That is why nonprofits like Wild Diversity are so important. Wild Diversity seeks to help Black, Indigenous, all People of Color (BIPOC), and the LGBTQ+ community connect to nature on a personal level through adventures and education.
Additionally, sometimes in the face of hardship the bravest thing you can do is to embrace joy. That may look like BIPOC LGBTQ+ folks taking to the mountains, laughing with one another, or even singing.
The Confluence Willamette Valley LGBT Chorus does just that, using music to celebrate and honor diversity. Pre-pandemic, members of the chorus would meet once a week to rehearse for concerts, giving members a chance to create community and beautiful sounding music. End-of-Pandemic, you can buy tickets for a performance here.
The Money Part
All of the aforementioned groups are currently accepting donations and putting them toward various means of support for members of the community. If you want a chance to be involved, to help touch the lives of many, please consider donating to the organization that spoke most to you. To you it may be a mere $5, but to them it could mean everything. Because Pride Month might be over, but being a good member of a community that is accepting and kind is evergreen.
By: Hannah Ramsey
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