To our Kaleidoscope community,

Happy Pride! Pride month in June is dedicated to the uplifting of LGBTQIA+ voices, celebration of LGBTQIA+ culture, and the support of LGBTQIA+ rights. Throughout this month, LGBTQIA+ folks and their allies will participate in parades, performances, and celebrations of life. It is a mix of political activism and acknowledgement of all that the LGBTQIA+ community has achieved over the years.

You will likely see lots of rainbow flags this month. These flags are a symbol of LGBTQIA+ pride and each color in the flag has meaning. Red is symbolic of life, orange is healing, yellow is sunshine, green is nature, blue is harmony, and purple is spirit.

We celebrate Pride in June because the catalyst for the Gay Liberation Movement was the Stonewall Uprising which happened on June 28, 1969. The police had raided the Stonewall Inn, a popular gay bar, and for the first time the patrons of the bar held their ground. The Stonewall Inn was declared a historic landmark in 2015 and President Obama named it a national monument in 2016. This year is the 52nd anniversary of the first Pride Parade which happened in 1970.

This month Kaleidoscope honors all of the LGBTQIA+ individuals who have come before us and paved the way for young people today to live authentically. Our program’s foundation is built on providing affirmative support for neurotypical and neurodivergent young people who identify as LGBTQIA+. As some of you may be aware, there are currently states trying to put anti-LGBTQIA+ laws into place. Here at Kaleidoscope, we stand with the LGBTQIA+ community and we created a position statement to declare our stance against these harmful laws. 

Kaleidoscope is excited to be participating in a few events throughout the month. Please save the below dates and make sure to come by and say hi! We may just have a special gift for you at our booth as well.

• June 5: WeHo Pride Street Fair
• June 25: San Fernando Valley Pride Event 

In addition, we’ll be co-hosting a live webcast this Tuesday, June 7th at 10am PT titled Providing Affirming Therapeutic Support to LGBTQ+ Youth & Young People. You won’t want to miss this important topic with our very own Dr. Sarah Bruce and Dr. Joselyn Valle! See below for more information or RSVP here.

Lastly, we invite you to follow us on social media and keep current on our clubs and groups meetings as well as special events. Please comment, share, and tag your friends, as we celebrate all things LGBTQIA+ on Instagram @kaleidoscopelgbtq, and follow us on Facebook at KaleidoscopeLGBTQ.

Our warmest wishes,
-The Kaleidoscope Team

This month’s blogpost was written by our Program Navigator, Jay Baldwin (they/them). Jay shares what life was like as a college student, away from home for the first time and not yet out except to a few close friends. They recall going to their local video store and seeing a sign that said, “Gay and Lesbian Films” and for the first time seeing themselves represented in the media. Jay describes the experience of knowing for the first time that there were other people who felt like they do and looked like them. Feeling like a valued member of the LGBTQIA+ community was an integral part of their journey to self-acceptance.