Hello, hello, hello! It's June, so that means HAPPY PRIDE MONTH!
Whether you’re out and proud, not out yet, or still questioning and exploring your identity, Pride is for YOU! You’re welcome here, you’re valued here, and you belong here - never forget that. And if you're an ally, please never let your queer friends forget it either!
Our theme for Pride this year is Looking Back & Moving Forward. We have certainly come a long way on LGBTQIA+ rights, but there is still a long way left to go to truly build an equal and accepting society. Now more than ever is the time to speak up, get involved, and uplift the voices of the LGBTQIA+ community.
While promoting the message of love and acceptance should never be limited to one month a year, this month is dear to me, so I am especially excited to be sharing that message now through the various Fandom programming initiatives throughout this month! Be sure to give this post a follow and DEFINITELY keep an eye on the "Pride" button in the wiki's toolbar (coming/updating soon if you don't see it already), as that will open a menu containing all the links to Fandom's and the wiki's Pride initiatives, so you don't have to miss anything!
Some of our programming
The focus of the initiatives will be on the fierceness of the Drag community, the protest performance art form that has been a cornerstone of queer culture for over a century. Blurring the lines of what people think they know about gender, drag queens have always been on the forefront of change, fighting for our rights, while always promoting love and acceptance above all.
Read Fandom's Pride Blog for all the details
As has become an established feature of Fandom's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives this year, definitely check out this amazing playlist, curated by queer people and consisting solely of LGBTQIA+ artists! Yes, that means some iconic queer anthems are absent, but that also means there's room for new music and artists to be discovered. Let us know your favorite new bop!
Please take a look at this amazing video made at RuPaul's DragCon from a few weeks back. Six of RuPaul's Drag Race's fiercest queens - Alexis Michelle, Angeria Paris VanMicheals, Honey Davenport, Jiggly Caliente, Laganja Estranja, Lala Ri, and Mistress Isabelle Brooks - are looking back to how they started and what they'd say to their younger self now, and moving forward to what they hope the future holds for drag, themselves, and the entire LGBTQIA+ community. And as always, there is a place for everyone, as they also expand on how allies can get involved to make that future a reality.
I had the absolute pleasure to have been present when these artistic goddesses were speaking, so I cannot encourage you enough to watch this video as it was such a heartwarming, supportive, and inspirational experience. There is so much to learn from these icons, so go watch it here!
Racers, start your engines, and may the best drag queen win! Stay tuned for this anticipated tournament on the fabulous Drag Race Wiki, one of the largest LGBTQIA+ communities on our platform to see how far some of the fiercest queens can go!
Not really a programming point specifically, but it is always included in any DEI initiative we do and one that is important to me, especially now with so much anti-trans and drag rhetoric and even over 500+ anti-LGBTQIA bills surfacing in the United States alone. I sincerely encourage you all to be open to listening to and learning from the stories and experiences of LGBTQIA+ people and educating yourself about the history of LGBTQIA+ culture and community, because the more we all try to understand each other, the easier it becomes to love and accept the qualities that make us all different and unique.
This community is already showing their support by sporting a Pride logo and toolbar! I still encourage you get involved in any way that you can imagine. Share your efforts with Fandom (by commenting on the blog) and/or me as your Wiki Representative (by commenting on this post, leaving a message on my wall, or reaching out on Discord - Lostris#4280) as the month goes on, so we can all celebrate and share in the love together!
Don't know how? Here are some ideas:
Speak up - when you witness trans- and/or homophobia -- or any other hate for that matter -- let the speaker know it's not okay and show your fellow queer humans that they are not alone. Remember that homophobia isn't just calling someone a slur. It's also subtle. It's hidden in jokes. Small comments. Exclusionary behavior. Here on Fandom that also means that you should never hesitate to report hate when you see it happening. Reach out to an admin, the assigned Wiki Rep, or Fandom Staff by sending in a support ticket. Nothing happens without movement, so staying neutral isn't an option.
Highlight people in your franchise - use blogs or Discussions posts to highlight the LGBTQIA+ characters or creators in your franchises and their contributions. Representation matters! Normalizing love is love matters!
Editing projects - start an editing project to improve articles featuring LGBTQIA+ themes. You don't need to be queer to enjoy and participate in Pride!
Support drag and queer businesses / donate - watch Drag Race online and share love with the communities, show up offline by attending a show of your local drag artist. Support queer media and buy from small queer businesses. Donate to LGBTQIA+ organizations fighting for our rights.
If you're looking for a place to learn (more) about LGBTQIA+ culture and history, or if you know someone struggling with and/or questioning their identity, definitely check out and share the following resources:
If you'd rather just have a talk about it, don't hesitate to reach out! My message wall and Discord DMs (Lostris#4280) are always open!