At Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound we are committed to Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion both in our words and in our actions. We are proud to be an organization where staff, youth, and mentors who identify anywhere on the gender identity and sexual orientation spectrums are safe to express themselves and live their truth. This month, and always, we celebrate those in our community who identify as LGBTQIA+ and honor their identities. 

 Respecting and honoring the identities of everyone who comes into contact with our organization is one way that we are working to build a more equitable, compassionate community. 

We do this by matching youth and mentors based on their gender identity, and always using the names and pronouns they identify as.

We are also committed to maintaining youth privacy – when youth disclose their gender identity or sexual orientation to our staff, our policy and practice is to maintain the trust and confidence they place in us. 

As we focus on our aspiration to improve the mental health of our youth and mentors, these practices become even more critical.   

Please join us in celebrating Pride Month throughout the Puget Sound at various community events. You can find a listing of events at:

https://www.seattlepride.org/seattle-pride-month 

https://everout.com/seattle/events/?category=queer

 http://tacomapride.org/prideevents/ 

 

Seattle and Tacoma have a long history of LGBTQIA+ activism and visibility, and have many amazing organizations dedicated to supporting our LGBTQIA+ identified residents. 

• Lambert House is an organization which creates space and builds community for queer youth. They have a great list of resources for queer youth.
• Entre Hermanos is an organization that provides social, educational, and health support services for Latinx people who identify as LGBTQ. 
• Gay City has a number of programs for youth and hosts Queer Youth Pride. 
• In Tacoma, The Rainbow Center and partner Oasis Youth Center provide a range of services, support groups, and community space for all LQBTQIA+ identified folx, as well as being the organizers of Tacoma Pride. 
• PFLAG also provides information and services to families of LGB folx. 

 At BBBSPS, we are committed to embracing and honoring people from all identities, backgrounds, cultures, and communities all year long. When we commit ourselves to learning about and honoring each other, it strengthens all of us and the work that we do.  

Join us in showing pride! Download any of these three Zoom/Teams backgrounds to show your pride and celebrate mentorship. 

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