Pride Month is a celebration of generations of LGBTQI+ people, who have fought bravely to live openly and authentically.
As we celebrate Pride Month, the Training Division recognizes and honors the invaluable contributions of LGBTQ+ individuals within Defender Nation. This month, and every month, we acknowledge the importance of diversity, inclusion, and the profound impact that each person has on our collective mission of justice and equity for all.
Defender Nation play a crucial role in upholding the rights of the marginalized and ensuring that everyone receives fair representation, regardless of their background. Our LGBTQ+ colleagues bring diverse perspectives, strengths, and resilience to this vital work, enriching our community and advancing our mission in meaningful ways.
The Training Division reaffirms its commitment to fostering a supportive and inclusive environment where all members of our community feel safe, respected, and valued.
Resources
- History.com highlights the many contributions made by the LGBTQ+ community to history, society, and cultures worldwide.
- The National Park Service preserves a variety of places commemorating America's multi-faceted history to include cultural resources, such as buildings, landscapes, archeological sites, and museum collections relevant to LGBTQ+ heritage.
- The Smithsonian (link is external) celebrates the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ+) community by exploring events, resources, and podcast episodes that tell a diversity of Pride stories.
- The Smithsonian American Women's History Museum (link is external) provides stories of LGBTQ+ women who have made remarkable contributions to our country and the advancement of equality.
- Listen to the podcast, Singing the Gender-Bending Blues (link is external), highlighting a darling of the Harlem Renaissance, Gladys Bentley’s, trailblazing life.
- The Smithsonian Magazine (link is external) offers a special report celebrating the contributions of LGBTQ+ Americans to our culture and history.
- Find family-friendly craft activities (link is external), coloring pages, video performances, and more fun provided by the Smithsonian.
- The Human Rights Campaign has been leading the fight for LGBTQ+ rights for 40 years to ensure that all LGBTQ+ people, particularly those who are trans, people of color, and HIV+, are treated as full and equal citizens within the movement, across the country, and around the world.
- The National LGBTQ Task Force advances full freedom, justice, and equality for LGBTQ people and is building a future where everyone is free to be themselves in every aspect of their lives.
- Watch a video featuring Magistrate Judge Ruben B. Brooks (Ret.), who was the first openly gay federal judge in the nation and the second Latino judge appointed to the Southern District of California. Narration provided by Chief Judge Dana M. Sabraw.
- The Library of Congress provides an overview of the purpose of this Pride month as well as annual LGBTQ+ Pride traditions.
- The National Archives highlights the achievements of record-breaking tennis champion, Billie Jean King, in the Looking Beyond the “Battle of the Sexes” article and other selected stories about LGBTQ human and civil rights.
- PFLAG , founded in 1973, is the nation’s largest organization dedicated to supporting, educating, and advocating for LGBTQ+ people and those who love them.
- Book, "The Wedding Heard ‘Round the World: America’s First Gay Marriage" written by Michael McConnell with Jack Baker, as told to Gail Langer Karwoski. In 1971, Michael McConnell and Jack Baker exchanged vows in the first legal same-sex wedding in the United States. This book is a unique account of their story and that of the gay rights movement in the sixties and seventies.
- Book, "Love Wins: The Lovers and Lawyers Who Fought for the Landmark Case of Marriage Equality:" Written by Debbie Cenziper and Jim Obergefell, this book recounts the groundbreaking Supreme Court case that legalized same-sex marriage.