This month, you can catch us tabling in the Community Zone of Pride hosted by Oklahoma Pride Alliance, on June 27th, as they close out another Pride Month in Oklahoma. You may be familiar with the significance of Pride Month, which is an opportunity to celebrate the resilience of the 2SLGBTQ+ community and acknowledge the ways we can continue to fight for lived equality. However, you may be less familiar with why honestly, an organization focused on improving youth sexual health in Oklahoma County, celebrates Pride.
First, we can look from a historical perspective. Sex education is deeply intertwined with reproductive rights, 2SLGBTQ+ rights, and their movements for equality and human rights in general. 2SLGBTQ+ communities have been historically excluded from public health initiatives, guiding their advocacy to prioritize sexual health improvements by way of education and community building. Champions of the HIV/AIDS movement helped lay the groundwork for the sex education work we do now, making room for us to assess the impact of stigma and the value of comprehensive education.
Second, a crucial part of our strategic plan includes fostering conditions that reduce teen birth rates, decrease STI incidence among young people, and expand access to community resources. We are building a movement to improve sexual health outcomes for youth through supporting comprehensive, medically accurate, and age-appropriate education for young people. When we say we want to improve sexual health outcomes for youth, this includes our 2SLGBTQ+ youth, because ALL youth deserve access to information that helps them make healthy, informed decisions.
Third, we know the importance of reaching caregivers and driving the mission of a trusted adult, which is to ensure that youth feel safe enough to ask for support. We create and share resources that help caregivers develop affirming environments and learn how to best support the youth in their lives. At Pride, we can model this behavior and emphasize community support by openly expressing our care for 2SLGBTQ+ Oklahomans. We provide life-affirming information and resources to youth, their caregivers, and their communities—and we do it all with pride!
In short, we attend Pride because there is so much to celebrate within the 2SLGBTQ+ community, and so much work is still ahead. We want to showcase gratitude for all the advocates who came before us, make connections with the Oklahomans who need sexual health information, and share in the community joy. We hope to see you there!