“Hope will never be Silent” Harvey Milk

Hi

In this blog, I thought I’d recognise that June is Pride Month, which I’m sure many of you know. It’s an annual celebration of the many contributions made by the LGBTQ+ community to history, society, and cultures worldwide. However, it’s also an opportunity to highlight that the community continue to face inequity and discrimination across the world.

You might not know though that Pride has its roots in the Stonewall Riots of June 1969:

On the 28^th June 1969, the New York Police Department raided a gay club, the Stonewall Inn, which was a common practice in many cities at that time. The raid sparked the beginning of a riot among its patrons and neighbours as police roughly hauled employees and patrons out of the bar. This led to six days of protests and violent clashes with law enforcement outside the bar and in nearby streets. By the time the Stonewall riots ended on 2^nd July, they had become a catalyst for the gay rights movement in the United States and around the world.

A year later, during the first anniversary of the riots, activists in New York City marched through the streets to remember the uprising, and so the first gay pride took place on 28^th June 1970. Since then, parades have been fighting for liberation, visibility, and equality.

Several Pride events have already taken place in the County, but there are still a number being held over the coming weeks if you would like to show your support and solidarity for the LGBTQ+ community:

• Stroud PRIDE – Saturday 22nd June
• Tetbury PRIDE – Saturday 6th July
• Cinderford PRIDE – Saturday 28th July
• Tewkesbury PRIDE – Saturday 17th August
• Dursley PRIDE – Monday 26th August
• PRIDE in Gloucestershire (at Gloucester) – Saturday 14th September.

For more information head to https://www.prideinglos.org.uk

There are many other ways that you can show your support, using your pronouns, adding them to email signatures, inviting colleagues to share their stories to enhance your own understanding and educate yourself.  Take a look at the university’s university’s Linkdin page to learn more about the colours in the Pride flag.

Here at the University of Gloucestershire we support staff to become an ally by signing up to our Allyship Pledge:

#Pledge 1 – I will educate myself  
(Continuous self – education of what an Ally is and how to behave as one; be prepared to step outside of your comfort zone, challenge your biases and learn how to respond to challenge).

#Pledge 2 – I will own my privilege (Understand that privilege is a resource that can be used for good).

#Pledge 3 – I will listen to the voices of marginalised groups and amplify them.

#Pledge 4 – Being an Ally means being active; if I see something I will say something. 

We recognise that we are on a journey to foster a sense of belonging for all our students and staff, creating inclusion one action at a time.