Every year in June, cities and towns across the United States burst forth with rainbows. Pride flags in all shades show up on flagpoles, t-shirts, stickers, and more. We put our identities on display and share our joy and accomplishments while we hold space for folks who aren’t able to be visible, aren’t out to themselves or their loved ones, or are still discovering who they want to be.
Pride is a month-long celebration when we honor our community’s progress and make our voices heard. Pride started as a riot and a liberation march. Now, it’s a time to revisit our roots and lean into our collective strength as we work for the community’s greater good. Pride can mean many things to many people. For some, it’s a party. For others, it’s a protest. However you spend it, this list will help you bring that energy to your day-to-day life during the other eleven months of the year. Here are some ways to celebrate the trans community and stay connected, all year round.
Five Ways to Celebrate Trans Pride Year-Round
1. Keep in Touch With Your People
One of the best parts of Pride is spending time with your community in a space centered around queer and trans people. Finally, we can celebrate ourselves! Being around others and sharing queer joy is energizing and empowering. It reminds us that we aren’t alone, even when we might feel like we’re the “only one.”
Pride is a chance to see our friends and chosen family. It’s also a time to see our community as their most-out (and sometimes most-outrageous) selves! Pride can feel satisfying, silly, sacred, sexy—a whole collection of emotions that we don’t necessarily access the rest of the year. To keep this feeling year-round, it’s vital to maintain the connections you have with your community. Not sure where to start? You can stay connected with this Discord server. Also, Plume is working to create spaces where you can meet and talk to other trans and genderqueer folks on-and-offline, connecting with the community your heart craves.
2. Stay Politically Engaged
The transgender community has always helped one another in challenging times. We take care of us. As a trans-led healthcare provider—created for trans people, by trans people—Plume knows how important it is to show up for our community. In 2022, more than 300 anti-LGBTQ+ bills were introduced in 36 legislatures. Some are already being enacted in states like Alabama. While this may feel overwhelming, we are not powerless. We can ensure that our community stays safe by staying politically engaged. It’s important to keep up with laws that might affect our most vulnerable members, our basic rights, and our access to healthcare.
Some of the actions you can take might include:
- Contacting your elected officials and letting them know that transphobic laws must be repealed now. You might organize a phone bank or letter-writing party with your friends to really make an impact!
- If you live in a state where your rights are not threatened, contacting your representatives to let them know how important gender-affirming care is and your support of trans people.
- Donating to the ACLU or giving directly to transgender people or LGBTQ+ organizations.
- Sending a care package to let someone in our community know they’re loved.
Plume works in solidarity with our community in resisting transphobia everywhere. If you are struggling or scared, you are not alone. Reach out to your provider if you need help, or contact the Trans Lifeline hotline to speak with someone and connect with more resources.
3. Connect with Trans Elders
Transgender, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming people have always existed. We may have lost parts of our collective history to acts of hatred, but we’ve always been here. And we will always be here. Generation Z is 9 times more likely to identify as gender diverse than Baby Boomers, but we are not a trend or new phenomenon. While transgender people may be prevalent in the media at the moment, we are old news! Christine Jorgenson, the first transgender superstar served in World War II before making international headlines for her medical transition. (She went on to be a great advocate for trans people’s access to healthcare and life-saving, gender-affirming surgery.)
One of the ways to connect to our community is to talk with trans elders—people who have decades of experience of life as out, proud trans people. If you don’t have elders in your life, you can send a letter to some awesome older folks in our community via SAGE, a national advocacy and services organization that’s been looking out for LGBTQ+ elders since 1978. SAGE also hosts SAGE Table events, where you can share a (virtual) meal, meet trans elders, and build nurturing intergenerational friendships.
4. Use and Share Your Resources
There is enough for everyone when we share. As members of a historically marginalized community, trans people stick together—through thick and thin. One of the ways to maintain your Pride connections is to support mutual aid, share your resources, and use the tools you have to help others. Seeking emotional support? How about a scholarship for surgery? Our community partner Point of Pride compiled a robust resource library for trans folks in need.
We also recommend the Sylvia Rivera Law Project (SRLP), which supports trans people’s self-determination. Named for our radical trans foremother, SRLP provides help with immigration, prisoner advocacy, and more. You can also find a PFLAG chapter near you or reach out to your local Q Center to meet folks in your community who are excited about staying connected and giving back.
5. Share Your Joys (Both Large and Small)
Although there are more than 2 million transgender people in the U.S., it can still feel lonely out there. No matter where you live, you’re not alone. (Not sure where to start? Our blog, social media, and newsletter are all packed with free, accessible resources that you can use any time.)
One of the ways to combat that sense of isolation and regain the connectedness we love about Pride is to share the things that make you happy. Whether it’s a cute Instagram filter or a thoughtful text to a friend, put your joy into the world. You never know who you might inspire—or who your words might reach.
In a recent article at Autostraddle, shea wesley martin wrote:
Your people are out there. We are always rooting for you. Always thinking of you. Always wishing you sunshine, fields of lilacs, and cold lemonade on a warm day. We are cheering loudly, pushing you along, lending your bits of bedazzled courage along the way.
Those words are for you, too. You deserve the sunshine. You deserve the parades. Your people are out there—and often, much closer than you think. This June, we at Plume wish you the best of everything, because you are worthy. We hope you feel celebrated, safe, and healthy. Find your Pride and carry it with you wherever you go.
