Happy Pride Month! This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, where black transwomen fought back against harassment from the police in Greenwich Village in June 1969. Though Pride today isn’t seen as a riot, the thread of activism has to be woven through our celebrations as actions. Many people think that the LGBTQ+ community stopped facing discrimination in July 2015 when the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage but that is far from the reality. Trans folks, especially black and brown trans women, are still murdered at a higher rate than other populations and the absence of non-discrimination laws still allows for LGBTQ+ people to be turned away from restaurants on the basis of religion. All of this and more is why the fight must continue.

Take action this Tuesday to support the LGBTQ+ community and do any of the following:

Call or write your Senators and Representatives about the bills impacting the LGBTQ+ community in your state.
Take advantage of resources like this one from the Southern Poverty Law Center to learn how to speak up against everyday bigotry.
Check out this guide to prepare yourself for questions and put-downs about gender and this guide for other anti-LGBTQ comments.
If you’re a parent or involved in community youth events, advocate to the school board to add inclusive policies. If you’re a teacher, make an effort to ensure that your classroom is an inclusive learning and teaching space for all of your students.
If one (or more) of your family members or children is LGBTQ+, join your local PFLAG chapter and learn how to best support your loved ones with other parents and family members.
Volunteer at The Trevor Project: the US’ leading organization in crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQ+ people under 25.

This post was written by Caity Hines of the 500WS Leadership Team.

Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash