By Sydney Ciarrocchi, MS,NCC,CCTP

Members of the LGBTQ+ community and allies had one extra reason to hope for a return to normalcy this June. 

Around the world, June is recognized and celebrated as Pride month. While Pride celebrations may appear as rainbow clad parties with an abundance of glitter and lip-syncing, these boisterous celebrations often hold deeper meaning.  For example, attending a first Pride event can be a meaningful coming of age story a young queer person remembers all their life.  For others, the yearly event can be a reprieve from an oppressed environment and be a place to disarm and feel fully accepted.  Many flock to large cities for the opportunity to mingle around people “just like them” possibly the first time. This all occurs while activists lobby to fill the gaps in the full acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community.

In the absence of the usual celebrations, it is important to reflect on the origins of Pride and the continued need for progress in the equality movement. 

On June 28th, 1969, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons, rioted following a police raid on the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in Greenwich Village, New York. The raid, performed under the guise of serving a warrant, was used to brutalize, incarcerate, shame and humiliate members of the LGBTQ+ community.  This ignited into several days and nights of further protests, riots and demonstrations, which are now recognized as the very starting point of the current LGBTQ+ movement.

Pride events remember the past while serving as acts of rebellion against those seeking to strip the LGBTQ+ community of the rights it has fought so hard to gain. These events are as important today as they were when they were formed.

Joining together in celebration or demonstration has been an important tool of voiceless communities who continue to fight for their place in the world.

Currently, we are seeing this tool in action as around the world protests and memorial demonstrations are being held to honor George Floyd, a Black man who was murdered by police on May 25th. Although some protests have turned violent or destructive, the actions of the Black Lives Matter supporters have remained peaceful, organized and focused on the goal they aim to achieve, no matter what the media portrays.  In a world where LGBTQ+, minority populations and, more predominantly, Black Americans, are living in oppressive environments, the right to assemble and demand change is an important act of empowerment.  These acts draw necessary attention to causes and are a way to combat mental health effects of minority stress and identity shame. 

Research has shown that minority stress harms the mental and physical health of all those effected.

It contributes to higher risk for a number of health problems, including anxiety and depression. Minority stress can be internalized as trauma as it includes: social injustices, witnessing violence, hearing about violence, not being heard, being silenced, being made to feel you are not valuable, repeated oppression and consistent invalidating comments from employers, educators, friends, acquaintances etc. With each intersecting minority identity (Black, gay, woman) the likelihood of these occurrences increases and further compromises mental health and limits ability to find access to safe spaces to heal.

This Pride month there should be a call to all members, supporters and allies to reject inequalities more assertively than in the past. 

First, all mental health and social service providers not only need to educate themselves on how to serve minority communities appropriately; we must be active in social justice issues. We must not only assist in the client’s healing but to fight to eliminate the origin of the trauma in the first place.  A second call I will make will echo the sentiments being made across social media boards in the light of current culture. Privileged people must begin to use this privilege to help reach an untapped audience. This can be done in a variety of ways. 

If you happen to benefit from your privilege throughout the day, talk about it. Post about it.

Odds are you have followers who have never thought about how their race or other privileged identity (cis-gender, able-bodied, heterosexual), has given them an incredible head start and limited so many others. These conversations get uncomfortable, but push through, they are important. People in your life know you and possibly trust you and your opinion which could allow them to hear things they refused to acknowledge in the past.

Stop thinking it has already been said or shared and say it, or share it.

Don’t be afraid to talk about your beliefs with others for fear of not doing so correctly.  Know that you can make a difference and stop waiting for the perfect moment because it may never come.  If you see a petition sign it. If you see a phone number, make the call. Minority people have been fighting for a long time and what has been embedded into our culture needs a new force to take action, a majority force. This June, celebrate Pride in your identity by taking direct action or if possible, enacting your privilege in a more useful way.

In the fight for true equality, no group is left behind. 

Remember “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor,” (Bishop Desmond Tutu) 

Suggested Donations

Black Lives Matter: https://blacklivesmatter.com/

Black Visions Collective: https://www.blackvisionsmn.org/

Women For Political Change: https://www.womenforpoliticalchange.org/

National Police Accountability Project: https://www.nlg-npap.org/

Resources for LGBTQ+

The Neighborhood: A Virtual Hub for LGBTQ+ Families https://www.familyequality.org/neighborhood/ Family Equality Online: events and support groups for LGBTQ+ prospective and current parents

LGBT National Help Center Support and resources for LGBTQ+ people of all ages, including hotlines, online chat, and connections to local resource

The Trevor Project (866-488-7386) Support for LGBTQ+ young people, including a confidential hotline, online chat, and text messaging

Trans Lifeline https://www.translifeline.org/ (877-565-8860) Peer-to-peer support for the transgender community

Resources for LGBTQ patients GLMA Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ Equality

About the Author:

Sydney Ciarrocchi is a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP) who is committed to providing personalized therapy for those seeking change. A combination of specialized training and varied life experiences allows Sydney to work intentionally and compassionately with her clients. After receiving her masters in Clinical Mental Health from West Chester University, Sydney obtained her accreditation as a National Certified Counselor (NCC). As a graduate student, Sydney worked as a Sexual Assault Counselor for a non-profit organization in Philadelphia. Sydney uses trauma informed Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and solution focused therapy to help improve quality of life by reducing the symptoms of PTSD in the short term. Sydney also uses psychodynamic techniques as a natural way to help clients explore their thinking, behavior and emotions to obtain higher levels of self-awareness and identify what truly matters in their lives. This process helps eliminate patterns of dysfunction and brings richer meaning to her clients lives. Over the last year Sydney has helped design and launch a specialized program for those suffering with addiction and co-occurring trauma. As an undergraduate studying Psychology at Temple University, Sydney focused on Gender, Sexuality and Women’s studies. This experience informed Sydney’s current practice as she has a passion to work with those effected by intergenerational oppression. The hope is that by providing safe, therapeutic spaces for those who regularly lack social and political support, we can create lasting, meaningful change for individuals, families and society.