Pride Month

Celebrating pride Month banner against rainbow backdrop

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Pride Month is celebrated every June to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan, which is seen as a “tipping point” for gay liberation in the United States. (For more on the history of Pride Month and other LGBTQIA+ awareness events in the U.S., see this page from the Library of Congress.) Since then, the month has been celebrated around the world.

The work of medical, social, and behavioral sciences plays a key role in deepening our understanding of inequalities and current issues in the LGBTQIA+ community, while also helping to create policies, practices, and procedures to improve lives. During Pride Month, Social Science Space highlights and honors research on these topics and researchers from these communities.

LGBTQIA+ Social Science

Marni Brown quote

The Importance of Cultural and Social Awareness in Building LGBTQI Families

Marni A. Brown’s thoughts on the cultural and structural importance of LGBTQIA+ families

Pride month banner linking to research collection

Watch the Webinar: Queer and Trans Perspectives in Academia

A panel discussion about the significance of LGBTQ+ narratives in higher education

Allies As Drivers of LGBTQ Inclusion

David Glasgow describes how allyship can be seen as a three-stage process of maturation

Some of the Posts at Social Science Space

A Milestone for the Mainstreaming of LGBTQ Studies | An interview with Abbie E. Goldberg, the editor of a three-volume The SAGE Encyclopedia of LGBTQ Studies.
Coming Out in eSports: The Price Paid by Soldier 76 | Cornel Maria Nessler examines what happened when a video game character came out.
Thoughts on Gender in the 21st Century University Environment | Kip Jones reviews ideas from a workshop on “Gender and Sexuality in the 21st Century.”
Trans Linguistic Activism is About Asking for Basic Respect from Others | Trans linguistic activism isn’t about monitoring our own language, it’s about asking for basic respect from others.

Highlighted Media

Podcasts

LEARNT. is a podcast by DoctorJonPaul & Kevin Allred that shamelessly blurs the boundary between entertainment and education for the LGBTQ+ community and beyond!
LEARNT. is a podcast by DoctorJonPaul & Kevin Allred that shamelessly blurs the boundary between entertainment and education for the LGBTQ+ community and beyond!
Stories and conversations about the queer experience today. Prepare to laugh and cry and laugh again.
Stories and conversations about the queer experience today. Prepare to laugh and cry and laugh again.
The topics you care about – sex, feminism, kink, social justice, and entertainment – through a queer AF lens.
The topics you care about – sex, feminism, kink, social justice, and entertainment – through a queer AF lens.

Books

An author who wishes to recall a history known to his parents, but outside his own experience, often has a hard time getting it right. He may brim with overconfidence about what life was like back then but may miss many of the subtleties.
An author who wishes to recall a history known to his parents, but outside his own experience, often has a hard time getting it right. He may brim with overconfidence about what life was like back then but may miss many of the subtleties.
Wyatt is fifteen, and nobody in his homophobic small town of Lincolnville, Oregon, knows that he's gay. Not even his best friend (and accidental girlfriend) Mackenzie.
Wyatt is fifteen, and nobody in his homophobic small town of Lincolnville, Oregon, knows that he's gay. Not even his best friend (and accidental girlfriend) Mackenzie.
Charlie and Nick are at the same school, but they've never met ... until one day when they're made to sit together. They quickly become friends, and soon Charlie is falling hard for Nick, even though he doesn't think he has a chance.
Charlie and Nick are at the same school, but they've never met ... until one day when they're made to sit together. They quickly become friends, and soon Charlie is falling hard for Nick, even though he doesn't think he has a chance.

Movies

An aspiring black lesbian filmmaker researches an obscure 1940s black actress billed as the Watermelon Woman.
An aspiring black lesbian filmmaker researches an obscure 1940s black actress billed as the Watermelon Woman.
On an outing with friends, CeCe, a transgender woman of colour, was brutally attacked; as she tried to defend herself, a man was killed, and CeCe was arrested for murder.
On an outing with friends, CeCe, a transgender woman of colour, was brutally attacked; as she tried to defend herself, a man was killed, and CeCe was arrested for murder.
Two Chicana high schoolers, Mari and Yolanda, form a bond that confuses them at times.
Two Chicana high schoolers, Mari and Yolanda, form a bond that confuses them at times.
In a seedy corner of London, Omar, a young Pakistani, is given a run-down laundromat by his uncle, who hopes to turn it into a successful business. Soon after, Omar is attacked by a group of racist punks, but defuses the situation when he realizes their leader is his former lover, Johnny.
In a seedy corner of London, Omar, a young Pakistani, is given a run-down laundromat by his uncle, who hopes to turn it into a successful business. Soon after, Omar is attacked by a group of racist punks, but defuses the situation when he realizes their leader is his former lover, Johnny.
It's Christmas Eve in Tinseltown and Sin-Dee back on the block. Upon hearing that her pimp boyfriend hasn't been faithful during the 28 days she was locked up, the sex worker and her best friend, Alexandra, embark on a mission to get to the bottom of the scandalous rumor. Their rip-roaring odyssey leads them through various subcultures of Los Angeles.
It's Christmas Eve in Tinseltown and Sin-Dee back on the block. Upon hearing that her pimp boyfriend hasn't been faithful during the 28 days she was locked up, the sex worker and her best friend, Alexandra, embark on a mission to get to the bottom of the scandalous rumor. Their rip-roaring odyssey leads them through various subcultures of Los Angeles.
Simon Spier keeps a huge secret from his family, his friends and all of his classmates: he's gay. When that secret is threatened, Simon must face everyone and come to terms with his identity.
Simon Spier keeps a huge secret from his family, his friends and all of his classmates: he's gay. When that secret is threatened, Simon must face everyone and come to terms with his identity.
A look at three defining chapters in the life of Chiron, a young black man growing up in Miami. His epic journey to manhood is guided by the kindness, support and love of the community that helps raise him.
A look at three defining chapters in the life of Chiron, a young black man growing up in Miami. His epic journey to manhood is guided by the kindness, support and love of the community that helps raise him.
A Chinese-American lesbian and her traditionalist mother are reluctant to go public with secret loves that clash against cultural expectations.
A Chinese-American lesbian and her traditionalist mother are reluctant to go public with secret loves that clash against cultural expectations.
France, 1770. Marianne, a painter, is commissioned to do the wedding portrait of Héloïse, a young woman who has just left the convent. Héloïse is a reluctant bride to be and Marianne must paint her without her knowing. She observes her by day, to paint her secretly.
France, 1770. Marianne, a painter, is commissioned to do the wedding portrait of Héloïse, a young woman who has just left the convent. Héloïse is a reluctant bride to be and Marianne must paint her without her knowing. She observes her by day, to paint her secretly.
A secretly bisexual Brooklynite from a traditional Persian family struggles with her identity and the disintegration of her relationship with her girlfriend.
A secretly bisexual Brooklynite from a traditional Persian family struggles with her identity and the disintegration of her relationship with her girlfriend.
Teenage Alike lives in Brooklyn's Fort Greene neighborhood with her parents and younger sister. A lesbian, Alike quietly embraces her identity and is looking for her first lover, but she wonders how much she can truly confide in her family, especially with her parents' marriage already strained. When Alike's mother presses her to befriend a colleague's daughter, Alike finds the gal to be a pleasant companion.
Teenage Alike lives in Brooklyn's Fort Greene neighborhood with her parents and younger sister. A lesbian, Alike quietly embraces her identity and is looking for her first lover, but she wonders how much she can truly confide in her family, especially with her parents' marriage already strained. When Alike's mother presses her to befriend a colleague's daughter, Alike finds the gal to be a pleasant companion.
This documentary focuses on drag queens living in New York City and their "house" culture, which provides a sense of community and support for the flamboyant and often socially shunned performers. Groups from each house compete in elaborate balls that take cues from the world of fashion.
This documentary focuses on drag queens living in New York City and their "house" culture, which provides a sense of community and support for the flamboyant and often socially shunned performers. Groups from each house compete in elaborate balls that take cues from the world of fashion.
A closeted Korean-American teenager follows his desires and finds more than he bargains for at a Korean spa.
A closeted Korean-American teenager follows his desires and finds more than he bargains for at a Korean spa.
In 1967, New York City is host to the Miss All-American Camp Beauty Pageant. This documentary from Frank Simon takes a look behind the scenes, transporting the viewer into rehearsals and dressing rooms as the drag queen subculture prepares for this big national beauty contest.
In 1967, New York City is host to the Miss All-American Camp Beauty Pageant. This documentary from Frank Simon takes a look behind the scenes, transporting the viewer into rehearsals and dressing rooms as the drag queen subculture prepares for this big national beauty contest.

Ways to Get Involved

There are countless resources to support your trans ally learning (and coming out!) experience. Looking to be a stronger ally? Check out some of these organizations and connect with their work. Check out resources that were developed to boost your trans inclusion IQ and action plan. Commit to learning more.

Check out this list of organizations to support across the US 
Learn more about the different actions you can take to help fight against anti-trans bills and for respectful policies

Addressing Issues

  • HRC – Human Rights Campaign
  • PFLAG – PFLAG is the first and largest organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) people, their parents and families, and allies
  • GLAAD – GLAAD tackles tough issues to shape the narrative and provoke dialogue that leads to cultural change
  • The Trevor Project – The Trevor Project is the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning) young people.
  • Queer as Fundamental – Queer As Fundamental (Queer AF*) is a new docu-series featuring the real-life stories of six remarkable, Queer individuals across America.
  • Family Equality – Family Equality’s mission is to advance legal and lived equality for LGBTQ families, and for those who wish to form them, through building community, changing hearts and minds, and driving policy change
  • True Colors United – True Colors United implements innovative solutions to youth homelessness that focus on the unique experiences of LGBTQ young people.
  • 55 LGBTQ+ Job Search & Career Resources in 2024 – The resume building company Novoresume put together a multi-faced resource on job-oriented information, including 45 job search resources for LGBTQ+ job-seekers, how to learn if a company is LGBTQ+ friendly, and LGBTQ+ rights in the workplace
  • Sylvia Rivera Law Project – The Sylvia Rivera Law Project (SRLP) works to guarantee that all people are free to self-determine their gender identity and expression, regardless of income or race, and without facing harassment, discrimination, or violence

  • Resource Guide for Trans and Nonbinary Students – A BestColleges.com collection looking at common barriers trans and nonbinary students face, as well as factors that TNB students should consider during their college search. This guide includes other resources that can make acclimating to school feel less overwhelming.