Pride Month is celebrated annually in June around the world.
Pride Month both celebrates and commemorates LGBTIQA+ people, culture, and activism throughout the years. Both LGBTIQA+ people and allies alike band together to uplift the voices of the LGBTIQA+ community and celebrate its culture and support LGBTIQA+ rights, while continuing to bring awareness to the difficulties still faced by many LGBTIQA+ communities around the world.
Why is Pride Month celebrated in June?
June marks the start of the International Gay Rights Movement in 1969, beginning after a series of violent confrontations called the Stonewall Riots. You can read more about the riots here.
In Victoria, pride celebrations have moved to February in a new festival known as Victoria’s Pride. The annual event will be held across the state for the next four years to support and celebrate our rainbow communities. The very first Victoria’s Pride event starts in November with a series of regional activities.
Pride Week at La Trobe | 21 – 25 August
Pride Week at La Trobe will be celebrated from 21 – 25 August 2023, to avoid clashes with end of Semester 1 exams and to coincide with the beginning of Semester 2. This is a week where the La Trobe community, staff and students, rallies together to celebrate the LGBTIQA+ community and bring to light some of the difficulties this community still faces.
This week will include a Pride festival day, events, activities and webinars for both staff and students to immerse themselves in learning about and celebrating the LGBTIQA+ community.
Keep an eye on MyLaTrobe in the next month for more details of exactly what is coming up and how to get involved.
Wear It Purple Day | 25 August
Pride Week ends with Wear It Purple Day on Friday 25 August. Wear It Purple’s aim is to continue to bring awareness to the types of difficulties still experienced by the LGBTIQA+ community.
LGBTIQA+ ALLY Training
La Trobe has a diverse ALLY network of trained ALLY’s that champion and affirm LGBTIQA+ voices around the uni. Being a good ALLY means calling out behaviour that hurts our queer community and playing your part in learning and listening to lived experiences to break down harmful stereotypes.
To find out more information, and to register for ALLY training, visit the ALLY network webpage.