Pride Month is celebrated globally in June in commemoration of the Stonewall Riots which took place in America in 1969. It marked the beginning of a movement to outlaw discriminatory laws and practices against LGBT Americans and now globally includes lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and asexual communities (LGBTQIA+). Locally in Australia we have supported our LGBTQIA+ community since 1978 hosting Mardi Gras parades. Starting in Sydney with a small group operating as the Gay Solidarity Group, a day of events was staged with the intention of promoting gay and lesbian culture and to encourage political activism against the discrimination they routinely experienced.
Pride Month is a global movement to uplift the voices of the LGBTQIA+ community. It is time for the community and allies to recognise and celebrate LGBTQIA+ culture and to support their rights and advocate for equality, acceptance and inclusion.
What does it mean to be an “Ally”?
To be an ally, you are uniting yourself with another to promote a common interest whereby both parties benefit from the outcome. Everyone deserves to be treated fairly and equally and we cannot expect this right for ourselves if we do not treat others in the same way.
The purpose of Pride Month is to celebrate the diversity of the LGBTQIA+ community and in our hugely diverse country, being an ally promotes acceptance and fosters inclusion.
As an ally we use our voice to support and promote equality and we can use our voice to support policies and initiatives that protect LGBTQIA+ people from discrimination.
Why is “Pride Month” important to Homage?
The core of Pride Month is to celebrate diversity, foster inclusive behaviour and equality. At Homage we are really proud to be an organisation that actively supports and fosters a positive and inclusive culture. Our internal team speaks 28 different languages with 78% speaking at least one language other than English. We were born in 12 countries other than Australia and our teams come from a wide variety of cultural backgrounds and communities including LGBTQIA+.
We offer care and support services to Australians with a commitment to providing “safe care”. This means providing care that acknowledges, respects and values the diverse needs of each person. Like our internal team, our Care Professional’s come from a wide range of culturally diverse backgrounds including the LGBTQIA+ community and LGBTQIA+ friendlies. This helps to ensure a point of reference for both the care recipient and the care provider, thereby helping to set boundaries and expectations that each person is comfortable with without compromising the quality of care delivered.
As an organisation committed to safe care for all Australians, we are an ally to the LGBTQIA+ community.
Stay tuned for our upcoming article where our teams share what Pride Month means to them.
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