June is LGBTQIA+ Pride Month. It is a time to recognize and celebrate the LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual and more) communities, raise awareness about LGBTQIA+ rights and issues, and promote inclusivity and acceptance.
During this monthlong observance, Fidelis Care will spotlight LGBTQIA+ voices from across our company and community-based organizations. Across New York state, Fidelis Care partners with community-based organizations that support the LGBTQIA+ communities.
The Pride Center of the Capital Region is committed to fostering communities in which LGBTQIA+ individuals feel safe, secure, and affirmed where they live, work, worship, and play. The organization promotes the well-being of LGBTQIA+ people and those affected by discrimination based on gender identity and expression.
“Our organization serves as a reminder that LGBTQIA+ community members are in fact everywhere,” said Nathaniel Gray, MSW, Executive Director of the Pride Center of the Capital Region. “In some capacity, we are a part of every job, every neighborhood, and every community.”
In June 1969, the Stonewall Uprising occurred in Manhattan. “This is widely recognized as the catalyst for the LGBTQIA+ rights movement in the United States,” Nathaniel said. “June as Pride Month began as a starting point, but it is now so much more. While there were earlier civil rights pushes for LGBTQIA+ rights, it was still against the law to openly be a part of these communities. We have come quite a long way since the Stonewall Uprising.”
The Pride Center was founded in 1970, just six months after the Stonewall Uprising. Its first march occurred that summer in Albany. "It is important that June remains relevant each year,” Nathaniel said. “However, work must be ongoing and consistent all year long to ensure that we are not pigeonholed or limited to the 30 days of June.”
The Pride Center provides free mental healthcare and case management to community members regardless of their age, race, or gender identity. "We host support sessions for various subgroups of the community, including transgender, non-binary, men, women, youths, and seniors,” Nathaniel said. The Pride Center works to serve the LGBTQIA+ communities in Albany and beyond to make sure there are supports available everywhere.
“We deserve to grow up in communities free of harassment, and the related health consequences including PTSD, suicidal ideation, and depression,” Nathaniel said.
Recently, the Pride Center hosted the second TRANSition Expo, which was sponsored by Fidelis Care. During this event, Fidelis Care representatives were onsite to answer questions about health insurance coverage. “By participating in and sponsoring the TRANSition Expo, Fidelis Care demonstrated its commitment to showing up for the LGBTQIA+ communities in meaningful programming, and providing healthcare for all,” Nathaniel said.
Research shows that LGBTQIA+ people have lower rates of health insurance and are more likely to delay necessary medical care. They also report high levels of discrimination by healthcare providers. “In the medical space, trans people will take up to a year to go back to care that they need if they had a negative experience,” Nathaniel said. "The more safe places there are like Fidelis Care, the more people realize we are integrated in every community,” Nathaniel said. “LGBTQIA+ people should not have to worry about how we will be treated.”
Learn more about the Pride Center of the Capital Region here.