A lot has changed in our world over the past couple of years but diversity, inclusion and recognizing the full value of everyone in our community is more important now than ever. Around the world, June is recognized as Pride month and commemorates a tipping point in queer history. The Stonewall Riots (also known as the Stonewall Uprising) were a series of demonstrations by members of the gay community in response to a police raid that began in the early hours of June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn in the Greenwich Village neighbourhood of Lower Manhattan in New York City. With riots lasting 6 days, police brutally clashed with protesters. 

At Oleander, we believe that everyone has the right to love and to be seen, and that’s why we’re celebrating Pride month here in the store. Here are a few suggestions for how you can support and encourage diversity and inclusion for everyone too:

• Educate yourself – learn about the history of Pride
• Get some fun swag – from rainbow flags to banners, to keychains and pins, Etsy has a wide range of Pride-related items
• Add your pronouns to your email signature. Pronouns indicate how you identify (he/him, she/her, they/them) and how you’d like other people to refer to you
• Switch up your social media profile picture or Zoom background – workplace advocacy group Out & Equal has a great collection you can access here 
• Send a loved one flowers to celebrate Pride, like this Bright and Bold arrangement
• Watch a pride-themed movie – Harper’s Bazaar has curated a list of 30 of the best LGBT films of all time. Find it here

We’re incredibly proud that Pride Toronto is the largest Pride festival in Canada. In 2014, Bill BC-279 was passed by the senate on the second reading, amending the Canadian Human Rights Act to include gender identity as a prohibited ground of discrimination. Today, Toronto Pride celebrations attract thousands of participants each year as queer communities and allies honor the queer identity through parades, workshops, parties, picnics, lectures, concerts, and more.

 Toronto Pride’s vision is that “no matter who you love or how you identify, you will be safe, valued, equal, and proud” and that’s something we fully support at Oleander. Happy Pride!