Even though St. Pete can’t come together in person to celebrate Pride this weekend, we want to recognize the importance of this date and provide you with resources to support our local LGBTQ+ community, now and all year long. 

Why do we celebrate Pride in June? 

On June 28, 1969, police raided Stonewall Inn. The days of riots that followed the uprising against the police — who frequently targeted the city’s gay bars, often using unwarranted aggression — were an important moment in the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement. Many who were there – including Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, two trans women of color, remained prominent activists throughout their lives. While Pride is celebrated in the month of June to commemorate these events, here are several ways you can support your local LGBT community all year long. 

Support LGBT-owned businesses 

St. Pete Pride has a directory to help make supporting these businesses even easier. When you spend money at an LGBT-owned establishment, you are providing direct support to your neighbors and the community. 

Stay Informed 

The team at Equality Florida works to create and curate information to keep the public informed on things like how to get involved and legislation to watch. They also share victories and celebration-worthy news, which we are always happy to read. 

Metro Inclusive Health offers different programming and training to help you implement best practices in your professional spaces. 

Donate 

If you feel like your efforts are best used to support financially, there are plenty of organizations where you can put your dollars. You can donate locally to Metro Inclusive Health and Come Out St. Pete or on a national level like the ACLU. 

Volunteer 

Time is one of the most valuable resources so use yours to volunteer with Metro Inclusive Health or find more topic-specific opportunities through Equality Florida’s search portal. 

While this list is far from exhaustive, these are a few ways that anyone can be an ally all year long. Post any other resources we should know about in the comments!