In June, we celebrate Pride month! We have celebrated Pride the last several years at Camp and we are continuing this tradition this summer. Pride is an opportunity for us to speak out against discrimination, celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, and create a more inclusive environment. At Camp George, we respect and celebrate people of all gender identities and sexual orientations. We strive to be a place where each member of our community feels safe and welcomed.
Read more below to learn about the LGBTQ+ community and join us to celebrate a special pride shabbat this Friday, June 26 at 5:30pm. We will be hearing from a panel of LGBTQ+ campers, staff, and families on their experiences and more strategies for inclusion.
History of Pride
LGBTQ+ people have existed for as long as humans have been around, however, their history has been fraught with persecution and injustice.
The beginning of the modern gay and trans rights movement is typically attributed to the Stonewall riots.
The Stonewall Inn was a bar in New York City that many LGBTQ+ people frequented. On June 28, 1969, the police raided the Stonewall Inn and the patrons of the bar, mainly transgender women of colour, such as Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson, fought back against the police, who had been unfairly targeting LGBTQ+ people for a long time. The subsequent riots lasted for five days.
Since 1970 (one year after Stonewall) Pride has been celebrated with marches, protests, and parades all over the world.
In recent years, Pride has become a much-anticipated parade in many cities. It’s wonderful for the LGBTQ+ community to be celebrated, but also important to remember (particularly as Black Lives Matter protests break out around the world) that the foundations of Pride lie in protest and the fight for these rights began with transgender people of colour.
Learning About Gender Identity
The first thing to know is that gender isn’t a binary; the world is not split into only two categories, aka. boys and girls. There are many people who identify outside of the gender binary, including identifying as non-binary or gender fluid.
Second, remember what the first thing people say when a baby is born? “It’s a boy!” or “It’s a girl!” What they are really saying is that their biological sex, what you find between their legs, makes them male or female. But the sex we are assigned at birth does not need to be the same as our gender.
Your gender identity is how you feel inside. You are the only person who knows what your gender is. The “Genderbread” person is a great way to understand and explain the concept of gender. This genderbread person helps break down some of the parts and pieces that make up someone’s identity: their (1) gender identity, (2) gender expression, (3) attraction, and (4) biological sex.
Now it’s your turn! Print and Fill in this blank genderbread person.
Check out these additional resources to learn more:
Documentaries: Milk, Paris is Burning, United in Anger, and The Life and Death of Marsha P. Johnson
Instagram Accounts: @lgbt_history, @them, @outmagazine, @lesbianherstoryarchives, @mattxiv @canvasprograms
P Flag Canada – peer-to-peer support to help all Canadians with issues of sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.
Canvas Arts Action Programs – local organization that trains Camp George staff and focuses on preventing gender-based and sexual violence, homophobia and transphobia.
LGBT Youthline – a confidential, non-judgmental service for LGBTQ+ youth to get anonymous support through phone call, text and/or chat.
Wishing everyone a happy Pride month!