{"id":15017,"date":"2021-05-12T10:16:29","date_gmt":"2021-05-12T09:16:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.inclusiveemployers.co.uk\/?p=15017"},"modified":"2023-03-13T16:37:03","modified_gmt":"2023-03-13T16:37:03","slug":"pride-and-privilege","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.inclusiveemployers.co.uk\/blog\/pride-and-privilege\/","title":{"rendered":"Pride and privilege"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pride as a state of mind<\/h2>\n

There are those of us who may feel like the past year disappeared into a vacuum, and some of us who have felt the weight of every single day. Whichever camp you’ve found yourself in, you have probably learnt to measure your expectations about what events and celebrations you can participate in as we ease out of lockdown.  And so, we come to Pride 2021. In previous years, come June – the arrival of Pride Season – many streets, shops and workplaces in the UK would be garlanded with Pride flags and rainbows. As with 2020, it is likely that this year celebrations will take a more muted tone.<\/p>\n

But as with everything this past year, what if the more subdued Pride celebrations offers us that rare opportunity to stop and reflect? And what if we were to shift our mindset to look at \u201cPride\u201d not only as a celebration, but as a mindset, a state of being?<\/p>\n

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Reflections on pride, privilege and shame<\/h2>\n

I have been doing a lot of reflection over the past year, and here is a confession: as a white gay man, my identity as a self-identified queer person has not featured much in those moments of reflection. In the year of Black Lives Matter, my thoughts have been much more around my privilege as a white male and how I can support those whose voices are not being heard.<\/p>\n

Now here is another moment of reflection (and bear with me, there shall be a handful of epiphanies in this post). Pride and privilege \u2013 how funny that both words should be so closely connected in English. <\/strong>Pride <\/strong>Season commemorates the June 1969 Stonewall Riots<\/a>, which many consider as the<\/em> watershed moment in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights. And, it does not escape me that the opposite of the word \u201cpride\u201d is \u201cshame\u201d. <\/p>\n

Many of us in the LGBTQ+ community have been taught to live in shame \u2013 the shame of our identities, the shame of not following mainstream conventions, and the shame of simply being. Celebrating the pride in just being ourselves is part of the rebellious spirit that has united the community through the years. \u201cYou are not giving us the right to be proud? We will give that right to ourselves and to others!\u201d Sometimes that is easier said than done\u2026 and more about that later!<\/p>\n

Now here is another reflection (are you feeling a theme here?). My point earlier that my sexual orientation doesn\u2019t feature that often in my thoughts these days has nothing to do with the fact that being LGBTQ+ is unimportant to me. Believe me: it is very <\/em>important. It has everything to do with my current privilege: as a gay man living in London, I am constantly surrounded by other queer-identifying people. I have the privilege of having access to many LGBTQ+ venues where I can feel safe holding hands with my partner without the fear of verbal or physical abuse. <\/p>\n

As a white cisgender man, I know I am less likely to suffer abuse than my trans, female and LGBTQ+ colleagues of colour. And I know I can truly practice \u2018being proud\u2019 and walk around with a rainbow flag without any fear of repercussion from my colleagues and friends.<\/p>\n

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Looking beyond your privilege<\/h2>\n

When you are immersed in your privilege, it is much easier to have that feeling of pride when others around you validate your identity. Being immersed in your own privilege can be very dangerous: you may be a straight ally looking in, struggling to see past the rainbows, confetti and smiles, or an LGBTQ+ person in a position of privilege struggling to connect with those in the community who aren\u2019t. If we are not willing to look past our own experience and privilege, our blind spots can be fatal to the experience of others. It can lead to overlooking truly alarming numbers including: <\/p>\n