The Leonardo’s Post

Just in time for the end of 🌈 Pride Month, our friends at LGBTQ+ Victory Institute released their 2024 "Out for America" report. It is packed with insightful stats and data visualizations. We're happy to share it while highlighting a few notable findings: • Every state (plus Washington, D.C.) has at least one out LGBTQ+ elected official serving, totaling at least 1,303 LGBTQ+ elected officials nationwide. • Along with the good news, a caveat: At least 38,193 more LGBTQ+ people must be elected to achieve equitable representation. • Of particular interest to our mission: There are currently 235 LGBTQ+ state lawmakers (and only Louisiana, West Virginia and Idaho have no out legislators). Follow LGBTQ+ Victory Institute or go to https://lnkd.in/ehJwd25S to access the full report Of course, we acknowledge we must keep fighting for justice and fairness, but we also welcome this opportunity to celebrate milestones of progress. 🌈 Happy Pride!

Embracing LGBTQ+ History in Britain: A Journey of Pride and Progress 🏳️🌈 Diversity and inclusion are the heartbeats of progress. Today, let's take a moment to delve into the rich tapestry of LGBTQ+ history in Britain. 🇬🇧 Read more on our recent blog >>> https://lnkd.in/e3GJD5x3

Hey everyone, Pride Month is a time to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, but what about the rich history of LGBTQ+ individuals who may have been hidden from the mainstream narrative? Imagine history textbooks featuring portraits of prominent LGBTQ+ figures alongside historical icons. What if classic paintings depicted same-sex couples or gender-nonconforming individuals? This month, let's get creative and challenge traditional historical representations! Here's the challenge: Take a well-known historical artwork (painting, photograph, etc.) and reimagine it to include LGBTQ+ representation. You can: ▪ Use digital editing tools ▪ Create a new piece inspired by the original ▪ Write a short story about a character reinterpreted through an LGBTQ+ lens The goal? ▪ Spark conversation about the importance of LGBTQ+ visibility in history. ▪ Celebrate the diversity of human experiences throughout time. ▪ Show how history can be more inclusive and representative. Share your creations on LinkedIn with the hashtag #HistoryRemix! and don't forget to tag me. I'll be featuring some of the most creative entries next week! Bonus points for: ▪ Using humor or satire to challenge traditional narratives. ▪ Highlighting the contributions of specific LGBTQ+ historical figures. ▪ Encouraging further research into LGBTQ+ history. Let's use our creativity to celebrate Pride Month and rewrite history with a more inclusive lens!

🌈 Embrace Diversity, Elevate Equality! 🌈 As we celebrate love, acceptance, and authenticity, let’s stand together for a world where everyone’s identity is respected. 🏳️🌈 🔗 #LoveIsLove: Because love transcends boundaries and knows no labels. Let’s celebrate all forms of love. 🔗 #PrideMonth: A time to honor LGBTQ+ history, resilience, and progress. Let’s amplify queer voices. 🔗 #TransRightsAreHumanRights: Advocating for the rights and dignity of transgender individuals. Let’s break down barriers. Remember, our collective strength lies in unity. Let’s create workplaces and communities where everyone feels seen, heard, and valued. 🌟

Pride Month starts today, and I have some thoughts to share. It’s very easy to think that we’ve made significant progress, that equality has been achieved, with pride month a time for rainbows, glitter and ABBA. Unfortunately, it took only a few scrolls of a local shopping park’s pride month post to make it abundantly clear that there is still so much to fight for. Three years ago I participated in a Pride video for Network Rail titled “Do I Offend You” and three years later unfortunately I think my existence along with my other LGBTQ+ family still offends others. We are still told not to shove it down throats, that we should keep our queerness “to ourselves” or “at home”, or asked with sly smiles when straight pride month is. As a queer person during pride month I ask my allies to of course enjoy and support a pride parade. However please don’t just participate in the fun consumerist parts of pride. Please reflect on your allyship in a time where our rights are being constantly threatened. The UK has dropped to its lowest ever rating on the ILGA-Europe map over the last theee years, due to the limitations on gender affirming care and failures to deliver on the banning of conversion practices. All too often the LGBTQ+ community, particularly the Trans community, are used as political cannon fodder, despite making up 5% and 0.5% of the population respectively. This has resulted in hate crimes increasing by over 100% to the LGBTQ+ community over the last five years. And lastly, we are not free until we are all free. Intersectionality is fundamental and critical to achieving true equality, equity, diversity and inclusion. Sometimes that requires decentering ourselves from the conversation which can be challenging however is necessary to be better and make real change. Think on how you can make space for marginalised voices in your workplaces and communities. And I’ll leave it at that along with a link to Stonewall who continue to do great work and have some must have reading for Pride Month. Remember, Equality is not a pie, there is plenty to go around. Happy Pride 🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈 https://lnkd.in/eAhDMm-w

For over 3 years I've been doing research about LGBTQ+ during World War II and on June 4th it will finally come to a head! In the tumult of World War II, where the clash of Axis and Allied powers reshaped history, another narrative emerges—one that illuminates the experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals on both sides of the conflict. With this groundbreaking work, Morgan delves deep into the hidden history of LGBTQ+ individuals during World War II. From the battlefront to the home front, this meticulously researched book sheds light on the lives of those who fought not only against tyranny but also against the silence and stigma surrounding their identities. Come along to uncover the struggles, triumphs, and contributions of LGBTQ+ individuals during this pivotal era. With empathy and insight, we bring to life the stories of love, loss, and resilience that have long been overlooked in the annals of history. A testament to the power of visibility and understanding, this book is an excellent addition to the literature on LGBTQ+ history. Join us on a journey of discovery, as we uncover the forgotten voices of those individuals who bravely navigated the complexities of war and identity. Their stories remind us that even in the darkest of times, love and resilience shine bright. Available now on Amazon! https://a.co/d/2EqSFzE

"LGBTQ+ designers bring a wealth of diverse experiences and perspectives to the table, which naturally leads to more inclusive design solutions. They’re often more inclined to challenge the status quo and question established design conventions, which can really drive innovation in the field." As we wrap up Pride month we sat down with San Francisco Principal Enrique Sánchez to discuss how LGBTQ+ designers are changing the industry, how firms can support the queer community, and the importance of allies. #Pride #Design #LGBTQIAVoices

For many years and from many companies, come June I typically receive an email from my LGBT ERG encouraging me to use a rainbow Pride-themed signature, with specific instructions to remove it in July. While it's heartening to see so many companies celebrating Pride Month, it's crucial to call out the performative allyship that fades as soon as July rolls around. Rainbow-washing—using the LGBTQ+ community's symbols for marketing purposes without supporting us year-round—does not advance our cause. True allyship means advocating for LGBTQ+ rights and equality consistently, not just when it's convenient or profitable. It's long past time for corporations to do better. Support us in policy, in practice, and in the workplace every single day. If your commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusion vanishes after June, then your rainbow logo is nothing more than a hollow gesture.Let's push for genuine, sustained support. We deserve more than a month of attention—we deserve real, enduring change.

It's no secret that we love #color over here. We also love all the celebratory flags we are seeing this month for #Pride! Do you know what all the different colors stand for? If not, swipe to learn more or read on below. At Shapes & Colors, we work to create a safe space for LGBTQ+ folks. We happily work with clients, contractors and vendors who are part of the community. We're also a member of the Richmond LGBTQ Chamber where we learn and network with LGBTQ+ business owners and other allies. ======= The use of colorful pride flags is a longstanding tradition in the LGBTQ+ community. And while many people have likely seen one of these flags, not everyone understands the symbolism and the story behind each design element. Each of the colors and elements has a reason it was chosen for the design. The original 6 colors: Red - Life, Orange - Healing, Yellow - Sunlight, Green - Nature, Indigo - Serenity, Violet - Spirit. The arrow pointing right: forward movement and progress. Black and brown stripes: people of color within the LGBTQ+ community. Light blue, pink, and white stripes: transgender and nonbinary folks. The yellow triangle with the purple circle: intersex people - who do not conform to the standard gender binary. Source: San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus, https://loom.ly/haqHZfc

We're so happy to represent so many speakers all across the LGBTQ+ community. For Pride Month, we've been featuring some of their fresh, new perspectives. And today, we have YouTuber, writer, and digital activist Jackson Bird. This quote from Jackson feels especially relevant with the recent rise of LGBTQ+ representation in film. According to GLAAD's most recent annual study tracking the quantity, quality, and diversity of queer representation in media, of the 350 films tracked, over 28% contained at least one LGBTQ+ character—the highest percentage covered in the 11 years GLADD has conducted the survey. The number of trans characters also hit a record high (albeit, that number was only 12). LGBTQ+ representation in media has certainly been improving, but there's still a ways to go. For instance, over half of the LGBTQ+ characters in the study had less than five minutes of screentime. As we push towards greater equality and liberation, let's remember that, as Jackson says, the most surefire way of telling more and better queer stories is by hiring more queer creators. To book Jackson to speak at one of your events, click here: https://lnkd.in/gdrabFSm