On June 28, 1969, LGBTQ+ Pride Month began as an uprising primarily led by Black and Brown transgender and gender-variant champions who acted after law enforcement raided the Stonewall Inn in New York City. A culmination of decades of discrimination and unjust treatment of the LGBTQ+ community, including preceding incidents at Compton’s Cafeteria and Black Cat Tavern in California, the Stonewall Uprising is the moment often cited as the major shift forward for LGBTQ+ rights.
Since Stonewall, there have been significant milestones in the quest for civil rights at large and for LGBTQ+ people specifically, including the U.S. Supreme Court decision to ratify marriage equality on June 26, 2013, and the June 15, 2020 decision that the language of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects LGBTQ+ employees from workplace discrimination. Several decades after the Stonewall Uprising, LGBTQ+ communities, Black, Brown, Indigenous, Pacific Islander, Native American, Asian and historically excluded people across the nation are still targeted by heterosexism, racism, transphobia and xenophobia to name a few.
WSU Vancouver is committed to building a community of equity and dismantling systemic inequities, including "isms" and phobias. WSU Vancouver recognizes and celebrates LGBTQ+ Pride Month. Below are strategies, opportunities and resources for students, staff, faculty and external partners to build a community of equity, belonging and love throughout this Pride Month and beyond.
- Use resources from the WSU Vancouver SGL, 2S and LGBTQ+ resources page to build community and expand capacity as a change agent.
- Know your mindset toward differences, build equity infrastructure and disrupt systemic inequities. Apply tools from BaCE to impact university processes, practices, policies and people.
- If you are a student, join campus student organizations with a focus on LGBTQ+ lived experiences, such as Cougar Pride. If you are a staff or faculty member, join PRISM— the Employee Resource Group for LGBTQ+ staff and faculty.
- Support efforts of campus committees and councils on equity, diversity, inclusion, belonging and justice.
- Make a gift to the LGBTQ+ Empowerment Scholarship at WSU Vancouver.
- Submit messages of empowerment to the Virtual Gallery of Affirmations for student, faculty, staff and external community consumption.
- Advocate justice for and send healing energy to loved ones of dearly departed fellow human beings whose names are known and unknown, including our transgender and gender-variant siblings.
Throughout Pride Month and every day, WSU Vancouver is devoted to advancing equity-mindedness, cultural responsiveness and inclusive excellence such that all LGBTQ+ students, staff, faculty and guests feel a sense of belonging, safety, support, agency, pride and opportunity to thrive.