{"id":38351,"date":"2019-06-17T07:49:31","date_gmt":"2019-06-17T11:49:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/?p=38351"},"modified":"2019-06-14T07:52:13","modified_gmt":"2019-06-14T11:52:13","slug":"how-ill-be-celebrating-pride-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/2019\/06\/17\/how-ill-be-celebrating-pride-month\/","title":{"rendered":"How I’ll Be Celebrating Pride Month"},"content":{"rendered":"It\u2019s June: the start of summer weather, patio dinners, relaxation, and most importantly, Pride Month!\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nFor me, Pride Month has always been an important time. As a queer person, Pride is many things\u2014 it's about celebrating the communities we\u2019ve built, while continuing to fight the obstacles we face.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nThis month, I\u2019m committing to celebrating Pride in a couple of important ways.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n
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  1. I\u2019m going to celebrate Pride by myself\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\nEven though we usually associate Pride with marches, parties, and big community events, I see Pride as also personal and individual. After all, it\u2019s about the lives of LGBTQA+ people and their communities and relationships.\r\n\r\nDuring Pride Month, I always like to spend time learning. That means taking time to read books by LGBTQA+ authors, and learning about the history that has shaped our communities.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n\"A<\/a>\r\n\r\nI also believe that an important part of Pride Month is looking after oneself. Living as an LGBTQA+ person is often hard, and taking time to look after yourself is a key part of Pride month. For me, that means realizing when I need time to myself, and actively taking care of my body and mind.\r\n\r\n\"To<\/a>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n2. I\u2019m going to celebrate Pride through my political actions<\/strong>\r\n\r\nWith all the rainbows and sparkles, it\u2019s easy to forget that Pride is also a protest.\u00a0 <\/span>In fact, the very reason that June is Pride Month is to commemorate the first ever \u201cPride\u201d\u2014 the Stonewall riots against police raids in June 1969.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nBecause of this, I've upped the amount of hours I\u2019m involved in activist organizations. I also try to speak with my friends and family about the necessity of remembering that Pride is political.\r\n\r\n\"A<\/a>\r\n\r\n3. I\u2019m going to celebrate Pride within my community \u00a0<\/span><\/strong>\r\n\r\nAnd of course, let\u2019s remember that Pride is all about forming and celebrating community. This month, I\u2019ve been making an effort to spend more time with my friends and check in with how they\u2019re doing.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nI\u2019m also going to a lot of U of T pride events\u2014 these are super enjoyable and a great way to meet friends. I recently went to the Pride Pub, which was a ton of fun\u2014 there was information about community resources for LGBTQA+ people, a fun dance party, and even a spontaneous Raptors viewing party!\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n\"A<\/a>\r\n\r\nHere are some of the U of T Pride events<\/a> that I\u2019m especially looking forward to this month:\u00a0<\/span>\r\n