Pride Month Advocacy and Resources
June 29, 2020
As Pride Month comes to an end, continue to stay informed and be an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. A statement made by the Gannon community called “Sexuality as God’s Gift and Our Response to Gay and Lesbian Student Concerns” can be found in the student handbook and outlines Gannon’s call to love and support all members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Places to Donate
The Trevor Project
The Trevor Project supports LGBTQ youth who experience feelings of grief, anxiety, fear and stress by providing 24/7 counseling. They provide the only 24/7 crisis intervention and suicide prevention lifeline for LGBTQ youth, along with various other trainings and community resources.
It Gets Better
This campaign works to create content that shares inspiring stories of LGBTQ youth. Each video provides encouragement to let LGBTQ people know they are not alone.
National LGBTQ Task Force
The National LGBTQ Task Force trains and mobilizes millions of activists to fight for changes in housing, employment, retirement and basic human rights for LGBTQ citizens. As the country’s oldest LGBTQ advocacy group, the task force’s mission is to build a future where everyone is free to be and live as who they want, with no restrictions.
Human Rights Campaign
The Human Rights Campaign works to improve the lives of LGBTQ people by advocating for equal rights especially in the workplace and as families. The campaign educates the public on LGBTQ-inclusive policies and practices as the hope is to increase public support around the globe to stop discrimination.
What to Watch
Euphoria
“Euphoria” follows a group of high school students as they find their identities through experiences of sex, drugs, friendship, trauma and love. Zendaya stars as Rue, a 17-year-old drug addict fresh out of rehab, struggling to stay clean, while Jacob Elordi plays Nate Jacobs, a high school athlete who uses anger to mask his sexual insecurities, and Hunter Schafer plays Jules Vaughn, a transgender girl who befriends Rue after moving into town. The series takes on the party landscape riddled with substance abuse and anxiety as these teens try to find where they fit in.
Available on HBO.
Moonlight
Taking place in Miami during the “War on Drugs” era, African American Chiron is depicted during his young adolescence, mid-teen and young adult life as he struggles to grapple with his own sexuality as a gay man. His story is one of childhood trauma, discrimination, ecstasy and pain. It’s the support of those around him that transforms him into the young man he is at the end of the film. “Moonlight” won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2017.
Available on Netflix, VUDU, YouTube and Amazon Prime Video.
Call Me by Your Name
A precocious 17-year-old Elio Perlman, played by Timothee Chalamet, spends his days in his family’s 17th century villa in Italy when Oliver, a doctoral student working as an intern for Elio’s father, arrives. Oliver helps Elio discover his sexual identity in a way that changes his life forever.
Love, Simon
Simon hasn’t come out to anyone except the anonymous classmate he’s fallen in love with online. The movie follows Simon as he faces his fears of coming out and searches for the identity of his secret admirer.
Available on Google Play, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video and VUDU.
Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Melissa McCarthy plays Lee Israel, an alcoholic lesbian author desperate for money. She forges famous letters and sells them to collectors for extra cash, until the collectors catch on and she has to find a way out of her sticky situation. “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” won the Academy Award for Best Writing Adapted Screenplay in 2018.
Available on YouTube, Google Play, Vudu, Hulu and Amazon Prime Video.
Perks of Being a Wallflower
Based on the best-selling book “Perks of Being a Wallflower,” this film follows an awkward teenager who befriends a group of older students that show him the joys of friendship. This movie explores the themes of love, confidence and mental illness all while tackling the obstacles of high school.
Available on YouTube, Google Play, VUDU, Amazon Prime Video and Netflix.
Books to Read
Sister Outsider
By Audre Lorde
“Sister Outsider” is a collection of essays and speeches written by Audre Lorde, who writes from particular parts of her identity: Black woman, lesbian, poet, activist, mother and cancer survivor.
Boy Erased
By Garrard Conley
A memoir by Garrard Conley recounting his young adulthood as he came out to his parents and was sent to a church-supported conversion therapy program. Intended to make him come out as a strong heterosexual, the journey instead is a testament to the true love that conquers all.
I’ll Give You the Sun
By Jandy Nelson
Jude and her twin brother Noah were inseparable until something happened to make them barely speak to each other. Noah tells the early years of the story where he falls in love with the boy next door as his sister is a daredevil cliff-diver. Jude tells the later years as she meets an older boy and an intriguing new mentor. If the twins can get back to each other, the story will become complete.
By Any Means Necessary
By Candice Montgomery
When Torrey first gets to college, his world is turned upside down after getting heartbreaking news. He fights to balance the pieces of his old life at home, while taking classes and meeting a possible new boyfriend. Facing homophobia, racism and tough decisions, Torrey wonders if it’s possible to choose between his family and his future without losing part of himself.
Like a Love Story
By Abdi Nazemian
Reza is an Iranian boy growing up during the AIDS epidemic. Seeing a family member face discrimination, Reza hides his sexuality by dating Judy. This becomes a problem when Reza falls in love with Judy’s best friend, Art. Reza struggles as he tries to maintain his closest friendship while breaking her heart.
Parrotfish
By Ellen Wittlinger
Parrotfish tells the story of Angela Katz-McNair, who transitioned to become Grady, a guy. His friends and family are disgusted with him as he transitions, and Grady navigates young adulthood as a transgender man, finding an unlikely group of friends to comfort him in the darkest time of his life.
A Safe Girl to Love
By Casey Plett
This book is a collection of 11 unique short stories of young trans women and their experiences with loss, sex, harassment and love.
Social Media Accounts to Follow
@lgbt_history (@lgbt_history)
Learn about the history of the LGBTQ+ community and where they’re going now.
Queer Bible (@queerbible)
Twitter and Instagram
A database of queer artists and how their collections of art, performance and activism have changed the world.
Chella Man (@chellaman)
Instagram, Twitter and YouTube
Chella Man is a Jewish-Chinese YouTuber and actor who shares his experiences being transgender, deaf and genderqueer. He uses his platform to reflect on his life and recognize others in similar positions in an empowering way.
Campus Resources
Love is for Everyone (LIFE) Campus Ministry
A safe space where LGBTQ+ students and their allies can gather.
www.engageu.gannon.edu/organization/LIFE
Counseling Services
If you or someone you know is going through a hard time and needs someone to talk to, Gannon’s counseling center is open to students.
https://www.gannon.edu/student-life/services-for-students/counseling-services/
Other Resources
From FinImpact: How to Support LGBTQ+ Owned Businesses
https://www.finimpact.com/support-lgbtq-owned-small-businesses/
From SoCal Sunrise Recovery
CHLOE FORBES
[email protected]
