Happy Pride Month! During the month of June, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) community celebrates Pride Month to honor the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City. The Stonewall riots were a tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the United States.

There are many people who may think that Pride Month is just a big flashy parade or party with lots of festive music, dancing and skimpy, glittery rainbow apparel. The real purpose is to provide visibility to LGBTQ individuals and for allies to create a sense of support, safety and inclusion for people who are often rejected and attacked for being who they are, and who they love. It's about giving hope to people who may feel that life will never get better. It provides an open door to new possibilities, showing proof that people like them are loved and accepted for exactly as they are by others.

For LGBTQ individuals to become visible they must be willing to be out – self-disclosing their sexual orientation or gender identity. Living openly helps break down barriers and stereotypes that have kept others repressed or in the closet. It is very hard to love yourself fully when you hide. RuPaul always says “If you can’t love yourself, how in the hell are you going to love somebody else?” Authenticity is the foundation of all closeness. If we want better relationships with our friends, family and co-workers we must strive to be our true selves.

There are many online resources for counseling, support and advice on coming out. Many organizations have LGBTQ employee resource groups that provide support and mentoring for LGBTQ employees who desire to be out in the workplace.

Ultimately everyone has their own journey and it starts from self-acceptance. As a gay man, it was easier for me to come out at work than to come out to family (Refer to my personal blog on Coming Out). I didn’t have to deal with any prejudgments that come with family ties. I have been fortunate to work at organizations that had inclusive workplace policies (The HRC Corporate Equality Index is a great resource for the Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality). Being my authentic self at work seemed to happen organically. I found it is easier to just start talking about my partner by name, with no explanation. My colleagues usually figured it out from there. I found that, by bringing my whole self to work, I was freed to be more creative, outgoing and productive – building trusting working relationships and breaking down barriers to understanding.

For the transgender community, the coming out journey is a more long and winding road. There are legal, medical and psychological concerns to consider. The important elements are having the support of allies and respecting their privacy, identity, name and pronouns.

Pride Month is the ideal time for the LGBTQ community and allies to come out, show out, engage, unify and strive for equality and inclusion. Pride Month provides the impetus to take action, create change and broaden understandings to overcome stigma, bigotry and discrimination.