Pauwels Blog
What is Pride Month?
What is Pride Month?
During Pride Month we celebrate the acceptance, equality and the work of LGBTQI+ people. You will see parades, people marching the streets and organize many events to discuss the theme. June has become the month to create more awareness around LGBTQI+ history and related themes.
History plays a big part in Pride Month because LGBTQI+ history hasn’t been recorded until recent times in our modern society. We think back to the Stonewall riots, but also remember the HIV pandemic that cost many lives in the 80s and 90s and take a moment to recognize discrimination and violence.
Why do we celebrate Pride Month in June?
Pride Month has its origin in June 1970, when the first annual commemoration of the Stonewall riots took place. The New York City Inn had been harassed by police raids and aggression for years before the mainly LGBT-guests stood up for themselves. Never before had the LGBTQI+ community fought back in large numbers against the violence they systematically faced. Newspapers, protest groups and a clear call for acceptance emerged from this moment.
Pride and inclusivity each day of the year
June is a good month to put an extra spotlight on this topic, especially as we are surrounded by celebrations like Brussels Pride and read more news on LGBTQI+ issues. But awareness is a stepping stone, of course. How can we make sure we all feel safe and welcome at work?
Awareness
Don’t make assumptions about someone’s gender or orientation and try to challenge your own prejudices. You can do this by looking up information and showing interest in someone else’s view of the world. Got any questions? This LGBTQI+ glossary can help you look up answers or open a conversation.
Stand up against exclusion
Do you hear that someone uses derogatory language, excludes people or deprives them of opportunities? Challenge this or contact a responsible person. It is a challenge to educate everyone about inclusion and diversity and fortunately we have the means to do so. At Pauwels Consulting, we highly value inclusiveness and diversity. We attach great importance to everyone being able to be themselves and we provide a safe environment for all employees.
Listen to real stories
Pride is not a distant concept. In 70 countries, homosexuality is criminalized, only 11 countries have LGBTQI+ rights included in their constitutions and all over the world LGBTQI+ persons are victims of violence. In an increasingly diverse society, the need for awareness and acceptance is rising and public polarization is increasing. Belgium fortunately did rise to second place this month, May 2023, on the Rainbow Index, an annual assessment of legislation and policies around gender and sexual diversity.
These are all facts that affect people’s lives. When you learn and talk about this, you are already doing much more than just putting a rainbow flag on your desk. On this website, çavaria, you can read news, facts and more.
Let your LGBTQI+ colleagues have their say
As colleagues, we learn from each other every day and encourage our teammates to express themselves as they wish. Pauwels Consulting wishes everyone the freedom, conviviality and acceptance to be themselves. Read a great testimonial from last year here. For example, our colleagues say, “We don’t want everyone to dress up specially in a rainbow jersey at all and tell us that ‘being gay is okay’, instead we want every colleague to feel treated equally and to be seen, involved and appreciated.”
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