June is National Pride month, an annual celebration in honor of LGBTQIA+ visibility, rights and freedom.  

For healthcare service providers, it’s an opportune moment to meaningfully (and festively) connect with the LGBTQIA+ members of your community.

What is the Historical Significance of Pride?

The purpose of Pride month is to recognize the impact that the LGBTQIA+ community has made throughout history, and to celebrate the pursuit of individual freedom, love for all, and self-expression. 

Initially, Pride was created to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City, which served as a radical turning point for the Queer Liberation Movement in America. The term LGBTQIA+ stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Trans, Queer/Questioning, Intersex and Asexual Gender. 

Originally, in the United States, the last Sunday in June was coined ‘’Gay Pride Day.’’ Yet this changed over time as major cities throughout the country celebrated with a month-long series of events dedicated to LGBTQIA+ Pride.

Today, Pride month celebrations draw in millions of people globally and can include festivals, parades, block parties, special community workshops, symposiums, and more events such as memorials which are held in honor of LGBTQIA+ community members impacted  by hate crimes or HIV/AIDS.

How Can Healthcare Providers and Federally Qualified Health Centers Support LGBTQIA+ Pride?

Before you jump on the Pride marketing bandwagon, it’s crucial to first ask yourself: what impact am I trying to make in this community beyond marketing? It’s necessary to be  intentional about how you approach Pride outreach so that your efforts are accessible, feel genuine, and tangibly pour into the LGBTQIA+ community. 

Here are some steps healthcare professionals can take to navigate Pride month celebrations and community outreach.

Attend Pride Events to Connect with the Community

Actively being part of pride month celebrations can be a lot of fun and an optimal way to achieve a multitude of objectives all at once.

It allows your organization to show support for Pride, and provides you with the opportunity to promote healthcare initiatives that are important to the LGBTQIA+ community. Plus, you can share information about the healthcare services you provide. 

Pride festivals, events and parties are also ideal places to give away customized merchandise designed with your company logo, fun catch phrases or perhaps words of inspiration to spark joy, self-love, wellness and all things pride. Given how much excitement and energy pride generates, people are often open and eager to receive free and fun new items.

And, since Pride month occurs in June (summertime) it’s the perfect window to pass out colorful, eye-catching promotional merchandise that people will want to wear and use. Such as custom designed sunglasses, t-shirts, water bottles, hats, phone accessories, snap fans, face masks, and hand sanitizer.


Explore PRIDE merchandise for healthcare providers from HealthMerch. We can customize any item with the design of your choice.

Educate Your Organization About the Importance of Pride Month & LGBTQIA+ Causes

Find resources you can distribute to your team to educate them (and yourself) about the healthcare initiatives most important to the LGBTQIA+ patients you serve. This means circulating pamphlets, ebooks, articles, videos, and other educational materials that will expand your staff's knowledge base and capacity to facilitate quality care to this community. 

Ultimately, as caregivers, when you know more about the needs of the people within your community it empowers you to show up for them more effectively. 

Discover LGBTQIA+ educational resources for providers:

The National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center

https://www.lgbtqiahealtheducation.org/

Provider Resources via Outcare Health

https://www.outcarehealth.org/resources/

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Health via The CDC

https://www.cdc.gov/lgbthealth/links.htm

Share Customized Merchandise for Pride Month with Your Staff and Patients to Wear During the Month of June

In addition to giving away custom merchandise at Pride festivities, you can also offer them to your staff and patients as gifts to encourage the Pride spirit and let your community know that your office is a safe space.

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Items like notebooks, stickers, pens, bags, and magnets, colorfully-designed just for pride, are the perfect budget-conscious items to raise Pride advocacy and visibility every Pride month.

Shop Pride Merch from HealthMerch

From hats, pens and stickers to notebooks, sunglasses, water bottles, t-shirts and more, explore our diverse collection of customizable merchandise for your next wave of Pride outreach.