How 6 lgbtq families celebrate pride month


LUCHINA FISHER, 54, FILMMAKER, CONNECTICUT _Fisher and her husband, David Parr, have three children, Gia, 17, Luc, 15, and Mateo, 10. Gia came out as transgender at age 12._ It's really

important to show pride, but also support. And what that support looks like is being both a vocal and a visible ally: showing up and speaking up. For our family, that means attending the

Pride parades as a family. Our first Pride parade as a family was in New York. It was the summer after Gia came out. We were decked out in beads and other things. The kids really had a great

time. Perhaps our favorite Pride parade was the one in which we all marched as a family. That was Chicago Pride in 2019. Gia is a founding member of the GenderCool Project a nonprofit

organization that celebrates the successes and personalities of transgender youth instead of focusing on their gender identity. So the GenderCool champions were marching in the Pride parade

and their families were right there with them. The love that you felt coming from the crowd, being in the crowd, we just all loved it. This year, I don't know that there's any

Pride in person. Everything is still virtual so we're plugging into events. I'm sure there's going to be some events around my film, _Mama Gloria_, a documentary about

legendary transgender elder Gloria Allen, and Gia has a book coming out, _A Kids Book About Being Transgender_. I think right now is such a critical time to show support for trans youth,

especially because of all the anti-trans legislation you see coming out. All the bills that are being proposed at state legislatures that are banning everything from trans youth being able

to participate in sports to being able to access their much-needed health care. Especially this year, it's important to show our support for the community. LESLIE FISHER, 57, DIVERSITY,

EQUITY AND INCLUSION CONSULTANT, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA _Fisher is Luchina Fisher's sister and is married to Judy Gilbert._ Pride is a way to celebrate, to connect and bring visibility to

a community that has been marginalized and threatened and killed. Now because of COVID-19, there's an opportunity to connect virtually with family, as well, who are celebrating on the

other side of the country. Our family represents. The rainbow bunting is up and we invite people over and play music. Every year we would normally go to some kind of celebration. We'd

go to Castro [a San Francisco neighborhood] and we'd also go to downtown Oakland. We would be checking out parties. We might go to Zuni Café, which is like lesbian central near Market

Street where all the celebrations are taking place. And it would be a total scene. This year, it's going to be very different than how we usually celebrate. But I'm hoping that

people can at least come over who have been vaccinated and we can have a get-together. I'm used to having access to a Black Pride as well as a mainstream Pride. One year, we did a march

of Black lesbians in Oakland during Pride Month, and it was fabulous. I'm hoping with COVID, and with the fact that things are going to be streamed online, that people of color can

also find resources in other parts of the country, even if they don't have something specific that supports Black lives and Black LGBTQIA [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer,

intersex, asexual.] HEIDI KRONENBERG, 54, SOCIAL WORKER, HUDSON VALLEY, NEW YORK _Kronenberg lives with her partner and has two children who are young adults._ Pride means I don't have

to be self-conscious about who I am. I can be out. I don't have to feel bad about myself or concerned about what people are going to think about me. I used to live in Chicago so we used

to go to the parade every year. Moving to a rural environment can be very challenging. The roots of my area are conservative. There's people that relocate here that are not

conservative, but you never know who's around you. So I wouldn't put a rainbow flag in front of my house. My safety is always a concern. The town next to mine has a little Pride

parade. And it makes me feel really good. I wasn't sure what the climate was going to be, and if there would be protesters. But it was a whole parade. They had the school bands marching

in it. I felt that was really embracing gay pride that they were letting everybody march. I felt super-embraced and very at peace and very happy to have moved here. I felt safe. This year,

my family will attend our local Pride parade. We like to feel that brief sense of security and support knowing that others have gathered to celebrate. My daughter now lives in New York City,

so if there is a parade I'm sure she will go. My kids do little gestures — my son rearranged our dinner plates in rainbow order. Pride is a warm feeling, at least for the month.