Volunteer Emersen Panigrahi shares her time and talents with BFL this summer, contributing to our blog for June with an LGBTQIA+ Pride post.

Emersen is a current sophomore at New York University. Her academic interests include political science, gender and sexuality studies, and creative writing. Outside of school, she enjoys photography and filmmaking. Emersen has a strong passion for social justice and activism and is grateful to be working with BFL.

This June, join us in our celebration of Pride Month, dedicated to celebrating LGBTQIA+ Pride! With an estimated 3-5 million individuals who identify as LGBTQ+ also having a disability, Pride Month reinforces the need to educate, advocate and involve ourselves in LGBTQIA+ rights.

BFL kickstarted our celebration of Pride Month with the Spread the Love Event.

With its participation in the NYS Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence (OPDV) LGBTQ+ endorsement project, Barrier Free Living continues to be committed to providing a safe space for all LGBTQ+ individuals.

This June, we encourage you to become involved with Pride and what it stands for, and we have several suggestions for you to show your support.

One way to support LGBTQ+ individuals this June is to participate in Pride parades and events. Attending Pride parades is a great opportunity to show your solidarity and to surround yourself with an inclusive environment. New York has many Pride events coming up including The March on June 30th, PrideFest on June 30th, and Youth Pride on June 29th. We hope to see you there!

Social Media is also a lovely way to celebrate Pride. Whether you choose to use hashtags such as #PrideMonth2024 and #LoveisLove or choose to repost resources and information, your social media presence can spread messages of support and inclusivity to the LGBTQ+ community.

This month, we also encourage you to educate yourself and others. Take it upon yourself to learn the history of Pride Month, read or watch about LGBTQ+ rights and efforts to advance them, and grow familiar with words related to gender and sexuality.

However you choose to celebrate Pride this month, we urge you to show your solidarity this June, have an inclusive state of mind, and expand LGBTQ+ equality worldwide!

Emersen