EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY

Pride and Prejudice

June is Pride Month. It is a time to commemorate our hard-fought victories; recognising that our communities have achieved equity in lots of aspects of life. It is also a time to celebrate our colourful and vibrant people but also to reflect on the prejudices we continue to face in everyday life. I have been to more Pride events than I care to mention. The party and procession aspects which we all recognise as being key to a pride event are just small parts of what makes it special. Most Prides will also hold a vigil on one of the nights preceding the main event. This gives the community an opportunity to contemplate the importance of these events – every Pride is a protest, and attending is an act of bravery.

It is a challenging time to be LGBTQ+ in the UK. Internationally we used to be at the very top of the LGBTQ+ rights league table (ILGA). This ranks countries based upon the legal situation and policies for LGBTQ+ people.

The UK is now 17th which is quite a fall from grace in ten years. It is unusual for countries to regress in terms of human rights; but here we are. This seems to be based on the sharp rise in homophobic and transphobic hate crimes nationally. The UN has commented that the EHRC (Equality and Human Rights Commission) has given the government a legal right to discriminate against trans people in relation to proposed changes to the definition of ‘sex’ in the Equality Act. The UK government has also blocked Scotland’s proposal to simplify the gender recognition process. Conversion therapy remains perfectly legal in the UK despite years of promises to ban it.

True LGBTQ+ allyship and advocacy suggests that it is okay to party at pride and rainbow wash our organisations if we truly understand the disadvantages that go along with being LGBTQ+, and to fight alongside these communities to bring about real equity.

Religious Festivals and Awareness Days Jul - Oct

July

Date Festival/Awareness Day

All Month Disability Pride Month

14 July International Non-Binary People’s Day

19 July Islam: Muharram/Islamic New Year

24 July International Self Care Day

24 July Samaritans Awareness Day

27 July Islam: Ashura

27 July Judaism: Tisha B’va

15 - 17 September Judaism: Rosh Hashanah

21 September International Day of Peace

23 September Bi-visibility Day

25 September Judaism: Yom Kippur

27 September Islam: Mawlid an Nabi/ The Prophet’s Birthday

29 September - 6 October Judaism: Sukkot

October

Date Festival/Awareness Day

All Month Black History Month

All Month STOPTOBER

All Month Breast Cancer Awareness Month

All Month Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Awareness Month

2 - 8 October World Dyslexia Awareness Week

5 October Islam: Baptism of the Prophet (Umm al-Qura)

6 - 8 October Judaism: Shmini Atzeret/ Simchat Torah

10 October World Mental Health Day

4 August Cycle to Work Day September

Date Festival/Awareness Day

All Month Prostate Cancer Awareness Month

5 September International Day of Charity

7 September Hinduism: Krishna Janmashtami

11 - 17 September Sexual Health Week

Sikhism: Bandi Chhov

31 October Christianity: All Hallows’ Eve/All Saints’ Eve