Happy LGBTQ+ Pride Month! I’m thrilled to dedicate this last B-2 B-Well column of the academic year to the recognition and celebration of LGBTQ+ members of the GSAS community. You are welcome here!
It brings me so much joy while walking through my neighborhood to see rainbow flags celebrating the LGBTQ+ community. Even my daughter’s daycare center is hosting a Pride dance party. She’s only six months old, but we dress her up in a rainbow onesie so that a sense of the month and what it stands for will be part of her earliest memories.
So, what does Pride stand for? It’s easy to get caught up in the banners, parades, bright lights, and glitter, but the month is an opportunity for LGBTQ+ folk and their allies to gather together in solidarity. Moreover, the history of LGBTQ+ people at Harvard and in the U.S. includes many dark chapters. In fact, Pride began not with parades but with acts of resistance in the struggle for equal rights—a struggle the continues today all across the globe. It is important to understand and acknowledge that history and continue the work—this month and every month—to make meaningful positive change.
Here are some ways you can participate in Pride Month at GSAS:
- Share “Signs of Pride” in your neighborhood with the Student Center at Harvard Griffin GSAS. Send a photo and why you celebrate via direct message on Instagram (@harvard.gsas.student.center) or by email (stucenter@fas.harvard.edu) to be featured.
- Share what Pride means to you and how you’re celebrating with the Office of BGLTQ+ Student Life. Submit your response and a photo to be included in the “PRIDE at Harvard” Instagram campaign.
- Take part in one of the many Pride Month events. Save the date in particular for the Office of Career Services event “Job Search Strategies for LGBTQ+ Graduate Students & Allies Workshop”, featuring Dr. Barbara Zerillo, director of the Career Education Center and Simmons University, on Tuesday, July 13, 4:00-5:30 p.m. ET. More details to come, so be sure to keep an eye on Engage.
Before I sign off, a bit of housekeeping: B-2 B-Well will take a short break during July and August as we prepare to welcome everyone back to campus. Until we’re back in September, remember to be kind to—and take good care of—yourselves and one another. And remember to (virtually for now!) visit B-2 and B-Well!
