June is Pride Month, 30 days dedicated to celebrating the LGBTQI community, learning about it’s history, recognizing the contributions of it’s members and looking to the future.  Whether you identify as LGBTQI or if you’re an ally, June is an important month.  If you’re racking your brain to try to figure out how to celebrate Pride Month, here are 20 suggestions to get you started.

1. 1. Attend a Pride event.  Check for marches, dinners, lectures, dances, parties, bookclubs and knitting circles in your local area.  If you can’t find any, consider organizing one yourself
   2. Watch a film with an awesome queer storyline.  There are so many amazing queer movies to choose from, and my personal favourites include But I’m a Cheerleader, Pride, Priscilla: Queen of the Desert and Blue is the Warmest Colour.
   3. Send cards to all your awesome LGBTQI mates, telling them why you think they’re so amazing.
   4. Learn about the Stonewall Riots.  The reason June is Pride Month is because of the Stonewall Riots which occurred on June 28th, 1969.  These riots are considered the beginning of the modern Gay Rights Movement.  Pride Month is the ideal time to learn a bit more about this monumental event and the people behind it.
   5. Donate to an LGBTQI charity.  If you can’t donate money, volunteer your time to an organisation that assists LGBTQI people in your community.

1. 1. Wear something to show your pride.  A tee shirt, a scarf in your Pride colours or a pin are all great options.
   2. Read a book written by a queer author, or about a queer character.  Penguin and Random House have published a Pride Month Reading List to get you started.
   3. Bake Rainbow Cookies
   4. Do some research about an LGBTQI figure from history.  Learn about someone from the past who influenced the modern Gay Rights movement such as Marcia P Johnson, A queer creator like Frida Kahlo or Oscar Wilde or someone else from yesteryear who wasn’t straight.  Marvel at how attitudes to queerness have changed, and the things that have stayed the same.
   5. Make a playlist of your favourite Pride songs
   6. Read coming out stories, and consider writing your own.
   7. Support your favourite LGBTQI businesses.  Around June every year, loads of companies start pumping out rainbow-printed merchandise to try to snag the queer dollar.  Be wary of buying Pride Merch from companies who use pride as a marketing strategy, and instead pour your dollars into genuinely queer-friendly businesses.
   8. Learn about queer sex. Whether you are queer yourself, or whether you’re just curious, take the time to learn a bit about queer sex. Educate yourself about safer sex practices, read about fisting, understand the history of The Hankie Code.  Attend a queer sex class or listen to this amazing episode of Tina Horn’s Why are People Into That about Queering Sex.  If you’re in the right headspace, you could also try actually having queer sex during Pride Month.
   9. Research the different pride flags and grab one that you most identify with.
   10. Choose one of your favourite LGBTQI role models and write to them. Tell them how they make the world a better place and thank them for their contribution.
   11. Consider how your community could change to better serve LGBTQI people.  Contact your local council or government representative to see how you could begin to make these changes.
   12. Join an LGBTQI club in your local area.  Lots of cities have queer book clubs, alliances, craft groups, political groups and social groups.
   13. Support queer musicians.  A lot of the go-to Pride anthems are penned and performed by straight artists.  Seek out LGBTQI singers and bands and buy their music.

1. Get tested for STIs.  HIV and AIDS activism is deeply rooted in the LGBTQI community.  Protect yourself and your peers by getting tested this month, and spread the word to others to dismantle stigma around STI testing, and give others the chance to learn and protect themselves.
2. Learn about all the letters of the acronym.  Not sure what the “I” or or “B” stand for? Do some research and gain some knowledge about some of the lesser-known factions of the wider queer community.

How are you celebrating Pride Month?  Do you have any awesome films, books, music or other resources to share?