In the UK, the US and many other countries, June marks LGBT+ Pride Month - an annual celebration of the impact LGBT+ people have made in the world.
Held to commemorate the Stonewall riots in 1969, Pride is both a time for celebration and an opportunity to raise awareness of the issues facing the LGBT+ community.
The Stonewall riots took place in New York, when supporters and customers of the pub - Stonewall Inn demonstrated against police raids and harassment of the LGBT+ community, igniting the movement to outlaw discrimination against individuals because of their sexuality.
Over the last five decades, that movement has gained pace, and Pride has since become an international event that encompasses all kinds of activities and colourful parades.
This year, the festivities will be a little different as Pride moves inside. Large-scale physical events have been cancelled in light of the current coronavirus pandemic, but there will still be ample opportunity to get involved in Pride via the many events and activities moving online.
Get involved with virtual Pride 2020
This year, charities and organisations are teaming up to take Pride celebrations online with a packed week of digitised activities from Sunday June 28 until Sunday July 5.
Stonewall and ParaPride is bringing together LGBT+ musicians, DJs, artists, comedians and activists for workshops, performances, panel discussions, educational talks and more. Tune in each day to learn, celebrate and create with Pride Inside.
Meanwhile, London Pride is bringing its celebrations online - check out Staying In, Staying Out for updates.
In addition to the set activities, there are all kinds of other ways to mark Pride 2020 at home - here are some of our favourite ideas:
Recreate the rainbow flag
The rainbow flag is a LGBT symbol, representing the diversity of the LGBT+ community. It’s a common sight during Pride, when the streets are usually filled with rainbow flags and banners.
We might not be able to get out and enjoy the colourful parades but it’s still possible to bring some Pride inside our homes by recreating the rainbow flag at home. Get crafty with paints, pencils and even scraps of fabric to reimagine the rainbow flag through self-expression and bring the celebrations into your home.
Read some books
If you’ve found that lockdown has given you more time to spend with a good book, why not add a few more options to your reading list?
There’s a fantastic range of both fiction and non-fiction books that touch on relevant topics - suggestions include Orlando by Virginia Woolf, Patience and Sarah (Isabel Miller), The Prince of Mirrors (Alan Robert Clark), Pulp (Robin Talley), Girl, Woman, Other (Bernadette Evaristo) and Me (Elton John).
Educate yourself on LGBT issues
There’s no better time to engage in meaningful conversation about the issues facing the LGBT+ community than during Pride, and there are plenty of resources available online to research and discuss LGBT+ history, achievements and challenges.
Find out more about England's LGBT+ Heritage with Historic England’s Pride of Place project, which celebrates places of LGBT+ heritage across the country, or visit the Stonewall charity website for information and resources for individual visitors, schools and workplaces.
Celebrate Pride 2020 with Manchester Fertility
Here at Manchester Fertility, we’ll be bringing Pride into our homes and into our clinic. We’re proud to be one of the UK’s top LGBT+ fertility clinics, offering fertility treatments for same-sex couples, always with you in mind. We provide a friendly, welcoming service, ensuring that everyone who comes to us feels comfortable and at ease.
We’re one of the only fertility clinics in the UK to have our own egg and sperm donor programmes. For female same-sex couples and single women, we provide treatment with donor sperm and reciprocal IVF.
Jane and Kimberley
“We started our journey with IUI then moved onto IVF with donor sperm. We were successful in our first attempt and now have a gorgeous four-year-old boy. Two years later we felt ready to try again and succeeded on our fourth transfer - this time we had a beautiful baby girl. “
Read their full story here.
There’s lots more information to be found here and our friendly team is always on hand to talk about your options if you’re thinking of starting a family. You can contact our New Patient Team on 0161 300 2737 where you can book a telephone appointment to get you started.
Last updated: 1st June 2021
