Pride 2021: Thank You, Let’s Keep Going

It’s Pride Month, of course. We’re excited by all the support, and we’re ready for a post-pandemic future when we can really get out and celebrate in full force. We’re thankful we live here in Seattle where Johnine and the other members of our LGBTQ community are accepted—but it hasn’t always been like this. Being a lesbian-owned small business in 2021 is very different than it was when Johnine founded the Real Estate Gals in 1990. This Pride Month, we’d like to thank everyone who loved and supported us during those less welcoming years.

Thank you, friends and family, for your love and encouragement.

Thank you, clients—especially our many LGBTQ clients—who have made buying and selling homes rewarding and fun.

Thank you, lenders, contractors, and all our other partners, for creating a community in which we look after one another.

All of you made the difference during those challenging years, and you’re still making a difference! We are eternally grateful. You will always be in our hearts.

This Pride Month, we’d also like to look beyond our own circumstances. Many people in the LGBTQ community live in environments that don’t accept their full humanity. Our country has witnessed a record number of anti-transgender bills in state legislatures this month. Even here in Seattle, countless LGBTQ teens are coming of age in families, churches, or other communities that deny their sexual orientation or gender identity. Although the broader society might affirm same-sex marriage, how much does that help a child who is disowned by their parents? Nominal corporate support doesn’t save the countless victims of discrimination, harassment, and violence. So much work remains.

So beyond changing our profile pictures on social media, what can we do?

• Support LGBTQ-owned businesses. Especially now, when so many small businesses are still struggling to recover from the pandemic, your financial and word-of-mouth support matters. If you’re unsure what businesses need your support, the GSBA produces a helpful online directory of 1,400 businesses, nonprofits, and corporations who support equality for all.

• Donate to organizations that support the LGBTQ community, such as the Human Rights Campaign (HRC),  The Trevor Project, Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice, and The Family Equality Council. If you know other organizations you recommend, please add it as a comment below.

• It’s easy to change a profile photos, but it’s much harder to confront active discrimination when it’s happening in real-time. It’s also much more important. Don’t tolerate hate speech, “jokes,” or homophobic behaviors. Say something—especially if you’re an ally.

• Give extra support to LGBTQ people of color, as this group faces higher rates of unemployment, violence, and poverty.

Thank you, everyone. Let’s keep making the world better.

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