LGBTQIA Pride Month

June is a very important month for us here at HopeLine. Why? It's LGBTQIA Pride Month!

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual Pride Month started in 1994. It originated as a month honoring the Stonewall Riots. In 1969, police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay club located in New York. This raid started a chain reaction of riots from the gay community, who felt they were being targeted. This event is considered to be "history’s first major protest on behalf of equal rights for homosexuals", and the riots helped make a tremendous amount of progress for the LGBTQIA community.

HopeLine is a strong ally for this community. It's proven that the LQBTQIA community is more at risk for mental health conditions than the rest of the population. As a community, they experience more prejudice and bias, and people often don't understand all of the challenges that they face. The National Alliance on Mental Health says "LGBTQ individuals are almost 3 times more likely than others to experience a mental health condition such as major depression or generalized anxiety disorder. This fear of coming out and being discriminated against for sexual orientation and gender identities, can lead to depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, thoughts of suicide and substance abuse." With that being said, HopeLine wants everyone in this community to know that they can call or text at any time if they ever need someone to talk to.

HopeLine is one ally, but there are hundreds of others out there too! To find more resources, check out the links on our website- https://www.hopeline-nc.org/r-e-s-o-u-r-c-e-s

Happy LGBTQIA Month!

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-stonewall-riot

https://www.nami.org/Find-Support/LGBTQ