Pride Month Celebration and Reflection

Pride Month is a time to celebrate queer joy, love, visibility, and community. This year, in this political climate, it's more vital than ever. Across the country, we're witnessing rising hostility towards LGBTQ+ people, especially our transgender, gender expansive, and nonbinary siblings. We're not only seeing attempts to roll back rights, such as blocking access to gender-affirming care or limitations on gender marker changes, but also erasure of references to trans* people from government websites, and restricting research and data collection that helps us understand and support LGBTQ+ lives. Our community deserves to feel safe, affirmed, and have access to fundamental human rights.

Here in New Jersey, we’re fortunate to have strong legal protections for LGBTQ+ folks including:

-The New Jersey Law Against Discrimination, which prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity or expression in employment, housing, and public accommodations. 


-The LGBTQI+ Senior Bill of Rights, ensuring that long-term care facilities cannot discriminate against residents based on their sexual orientation, gender identity, intersex status, or HIV status.

-We have had legal recognition of same-sex marriage, codified into state law in 2022.

-Individuals can change their legal gender without the requirement of surgery or medical documentation.

-Executive orders protecting access to gender-affirming healthcare, making New Jersey a safe haven for transgender individuals seeking care.

Executive orders by our governor still need to be codified by legislature into permanent state law to ensure longevity of these protections. We have also seen many local school boards silencing LGBTQ+ voices, erasing our communities' experiences, and making schools less safe for trans, gender expansive, and nonbinary kids. We know that safety isn’t just about laws. It’s about feeling seen, included, and supported.

To my LGBTQ+ clients and community: Your identity is beautiful. Your existence is resistance. Your joy is powerful. In this space you are celebrated and supported for living your authentic truth in whatever way feels safe for you today.

To our allies: Now is not the time to be silent or inactive. We have never had that privilege. We cannot do this alone. Show up. Speak out. Validate the emotional toll this climate takes on us. Listen and learn, and please also use your power to fight with us.

Let's celebrate Pride not just in rainbow colors, parades, or saying "love is love".  Remember the first pride was a riot led by our trans and gender expansive siblings. We celebrate today and always in their spirit and legacy. We can only rise together, sharing a commitment to social justice, authenticity, empathy and collective care. 

Happy Pride- Today, Tomorrow, and Always.