Pride Month provides an opportunity to teach children about the tremendous contributions and accomplishments of people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex and asexual (LGBTQIA) during past and present times.

At Connecticut Children’s, we honor Pride Month with our team members, patients and their families by displaying signage in our hospital, providing educational resources to team members, sharing team member profiles, and much more. We also encourage families to try out new activities to better understand and appreciate the contributions of LGBTQIA people in our country.

Here are some ideas to consider during Pride Month and all year long:

  • Celebrate Pride with the Smithsonian Institution. Visit their online gallery of resources, collections and events dedicated to honoring Pride Month. You can learn about the LGBTQIA community’s fight for equality after the Stonewall Uprising, the origins of the rainbow Pride symbol, women who identify as LGBTQIA, and much more.
  • Make rainbow-themed arts and crafts projects. The rainbow is an iconic Pride symbol that celebrates the diversity of the LGBTQIA community. Chalk your sidewalk with rainbow colors, create rainbow-themed bead bracelets or come up with other ideas.
  • Read children’s books written by authors or illustrated by artists who identify as LGBTQIA. To get you started, Common Sense Media offers reading recommendations that you can easily sort by age.
  • For additional ideas, take a look at this article on Connecticut Children’s Growing Healthy Blog, which offers tips to honor the month with kids – from arts and crafts, to watching videos, to taking a virtual vacation.

And here’s some background information on Pride Month. The month recognizes the impact that LGBTQIA individuals have had on history locally, nationally and internationally. Pride Month is celebrated every year in June to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in New York City, which was a defining moment in the ongoing fight for equal rights for those who identify as LGBTQIA in the United States. Today, celebrations include parades, picnics, workshops, concerts and other activities held around the world.