June is Pride Month, and if you’re a member of the LGBTQ+ community, first and foremost, we want to wish you a happy Pride! Thanks to a global pandemic, this year’s Pride has looked a little different than previous years. But even though we’re all staying home and social distancing, that’s no reason not to celebrate!

This year, your workplace will need to find some creative new ways to celebrate Pride Month. Read on to discover some ideas for how your office can have a fabulous June, even while working from home.

Invite Employees to Share Their Stories

Coming out can be a scary and difficult thing for those in the LGBTQ+ community, not least of all because it’s not a one-and-done thing. You may come out to just one or two people at first, and then maybe you come out to your close friends or your family. Even if you receive love and support there, you still may want to come out to new romantic partners, new friends, and your coworkers.

This Pride Month, make sure your employees know your company is a safe space to come out if they want to. Invite employees who are already out – especially leaders in your company – to share their stories. You can also invite employees to anonymously share their stories as a way for them to test the waters on coming out at work.

Have a Rainbow Dress Meeting

One fun way to host a virtual Pride celebration is to have a rainbow dress meeting day. This can give your employees opportunities to show off their favorite Pride gear and celebrate their identities. It can also add a layer of fun to your virtual meetings for the day.

Invite all your employees to wear their best rainbow outfits - the crazier the better. Encourage fun hairstyles, rainbow makeup (on people of all genders), feather boas, the works. You can even have a contest and give the person with the best Pride outfit the opportunity to choose a theme for the next week or month's meetings.

Create a Pride Month Playlist

Many of your employees may enjoy listening to music while they're working from home. Not only does this make their workday more interesting, but it can also help them to be more productivewhile they work. This Pride Month, why not give your employees some fabulous Pride playlists to listen to while working from home?

"Born this Way" by Lady Gaga has an amazing message celebrating the beauty of being who you were meant to be. It even includes the lyrics, "No matter gay, straight, or bi, lesbian, transgender life, I'm on the right track, baby, I was born to survive."

If you've watched Queer Eye, you've probably heard the amazing bop "All Things" by Betty Who. The song was composed for the Fab Five and celebrates the joy that comes from knowing a beautiful, authentic person.

"Girls/Girls/Boys" by Panic! At the Disco celebrates bisexuality and polyamory. With lyrics like, "Girls love girls and boys, and love is not a choice," the song shows that it's alright to love whomever you love, judgement-free.

Throw a Pride Party

Your office may have been planning a party this month to celebrate all the LGBGTQ+ folks who work with you. And while we're all working from home these days, that doesn't mean your party should be cancelled. Arrange for a virtual Pride party that your employees can attend from your own home.

Set up a virtual meeting with your employees and invite everyone to bake rainbow treats at home. You can share around recipes before the party and play some of the songs off your Pride Month playlist while it's going on. Don't plan any business to be discussed during this event - this should be purely a time for your employees to have fun and celebrate their identities. 

Read up on Pride

Many people know that June is Pride Month, but do you know why?

We assume that LGBTQ+ people are free to be who they are in most spaces around Australia these days, but do you know how they gained that acceptance? Pride is the perfect time to read up on LGBTQ+ history and learn about the amazing people who fought to gain acceptance.

Set up a book club with any employees who want to participate, and do so some research in to the history of LGBTQ+ and Pride.

Host a Virtual Pride Parade

Although many Pride parades have been cancelled this year in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, Pride is not off!

One of the blessings in the middle of this pandemic is that we live in the golden age of technology. Many groups are figuring out all-new creative ways to host Pride parades from a safe social distance this year.

Arrange a virtual office Pride parade. Invite employees to dress up in their favorite Pride garb, set up some rainbow backgrounds, and get everyone together for a virtual Pride hangout. You can also put together a virtual watch party for some of the bigger Pride parades going on around the country.

June Is Pride Month: Let's Celebrate

Although this year may look a little different than previous years, even a pandemic cannot change the fact that June is Pride month. 

If you are a member of the LGBTQ+ community, live loud and live proud this month even as we all stay safe and work from home. As an employer, recommit to making your workplace an inclusive place, and wish the LGBGQ+ folks who work for your company a happy Pride!