There are various reasons why one might not attend a Pride parade. Although a parade is undoubtedly the most famous and popular way to celebrate Pride month, you might be unable to go (last year I couldn’t do London Pride because I was seeing Taylor Swift… what?), you might be too anxious to go, or there might be another reason. Still, there is no reason to panic! There are many other ways to celebrate Pride this month. Although these are a few simple and easy ideas, there are many more already out there, and of course, you can make up your own! Here goes…
- Fundraising
It’s the oldest trick in the book. There are many LBGTQ charities which accept donations, such as ‘Kaleidoscope Trust’, ‘It Gets Better Project’, and many others. Research the charities which you could donate to according to your country, region or what you think you’ll raise, and start fundraising! You could do one of the classic fundraising activities, like a bake sale, a sponsored run, or a sponsored silence (I think my friends could benefit from me doing one of those, to be honest…), start a gofundme or Kickstarter, or think of your own alternative way to fundraise.
- Have a party
I don’t know about you, but personally, I’ll take any excuse to turn up somewhere wearing the top I’ve recently bought and embarrass myself by singing along to Wham! a little too loudly. If you’re able and willing, maybe you could throw a party to celebrate Pride month. You could arrange a picnic with a few friends where they all bring a different food to share, or have a full on house party – rainbow beer cups, a playlist with only songs by LGBTQ artists on it, different sexuality and gender flags up everywhere, the whole deal. However big or small you want to go, though, inviting your LGBTQ friends and acquaintances and the straight/CIS allies that you know to show their support and have a good time celebrating the culture, lives and general brilliance of LGBTQ is sure to be a great way to celebrate Pride.
- Do some appearance DIY
If you’re like me, you probably can’t afford to splash out on various rainbow-style items of clothing all the time. Instead, take one of your own t shirts, buy a can of spray paint or some fabric pens and, make your own pro-LGBTQ designs! Don’t rip off Stonewall, though, as much as their ‘some people are gay/bi/trans. Get over it.’ T shirts are amazing (copyright, people. Copyright). I’ve done this for Halsey gigs before because her merchandise used to be so expensive in the UK, and she’s sort of an LGBTQ icon already, so this is totally solid. Although my Badlands-themed t shirt might not be enough…
Even just ‘proud to be LGBTQ’ or something of the sort in block lettering would be brilliant. Show that you’re proud, folks. You could even go super, super DIY (seriously, if you don’t want to spend a ridiculous amount of money, don’t do it at the hairdresser’s) and dye your hair multi-coloured to be one walking LGBTQ flag! Alternatively, you could dye your hair half blue and half pink for the bisexual flag, or another specific flag you wanted to do.
- Engage with LGBTQ art of any form
Whether it be water colours, writing poetry, producing a short film or anything else, everyone has some sort of hobby involving the creation of new content that they like to do. If you want to celebrate pride but don’t know how else to do it, maybe consider doing a little of that hobby. You could create a pro-LGBTQ drawing, film some of your friends talking about why they’re proud to be LGBTQ, or something positive and LGBTQ along those lines. Not only will you enjoy creating it, but the rest of the world will love to experience it and share it themselves if you decide to share it. If you really don’t want to create your own art, you could actually entertain yourself with LGBTQ art forms that have already been created. If you’re a cinema fan, you could watch the 2014 film ‘Pride’ (which I highly recommend); if you enjoy reading and expanding your knowledge, perhaps you could stop by in your local book shop and pick up some LGBTQ fiction or non-fiction; if you’re feeling light hearted and as if you need to procrastinate, you could watch every single LGBTQ-related Buzzfeed video (x x x) out there (a feat I can impressively brag about)… The possibilities are endless. Basically, enjoy the wonderful world of LGBTQ people through an art form you enjoy! And, trust me, Buzzfeed is art.
- Show an/another LGBTQ person that love is love, and you love them
We all know someone who is in a gender or sexual minority. It could be a sibling, your own partner, a friend from school or from your workplace… no matter how the two of you are acquainted, though, they will definitely appreciate you showing your love for them. You could drop your LGBTQ mum a text message, make a cheesy, LGBTQ as hell prom-posal to someone, or do anything else you think will make that special LGBTQ person in your life smile. We should be celebrating LGBTQ people all year round, but this opportunity gives you a perfectly-timed chance to show your appreciation for an LGBTQ person.
I hope this article gave you some fun, helpful, and most of all achievable tips for celebrating Pride! LGBTQ Pride comes in many shapes and sizes, and everyone should be able to partake in celebrating their Pride for being LGBTQ themselves, having someone special who is LGBTQ in their lives, or appreciating the LGBTQ community as a whole.
