As June continues and everybody’s getting excited about summer, warmer weather, and longer days— which, we might just happen to think is a great reason to break out your Silk sleep mask— I, and SleepSwag as well, want to to take a moment to recognize the importance that June isn’t just the start of summer but also national pride month! As a mother with gay children, LGBT social issues are incredibly close to my heart, and, in turn, ensuring that SleepSwag is just as much as me a platform for values of equality, affirmation, pride, and love is of the utmost importance during this month— and every month— of the year.
However, rather than offering a line of SleepSwag products to celebrate LGBT empowerment and the progress that has been made here in the U.S., I’d like to take this time to offer some resources so that you can both educate yourself about LGBT issues and donate to the many groups doing important work to empower their community. My mission at SleepSwag is to improve people’s quality of life and general happiness by helping them sleep well at night; in tune with this, though certainly more serious and far-reaching, I believe that all people have the right to happiness, a good quality of life, and basic rights and safety. Unfortunately, this is not the reality. Our lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender friends, children, family, and coworkers often face serious discrimination, prejudice, and mental and physical violence. It is my hope that the information provided in the links below will give you a chance to inform yourself if you don’t know much about these issues, and then to show you where your money can have the largest impact in improving the lives of the LGBT community.
Love, Susan 💜Education Resources:
To learn about…
1. The importance of pronouns for Transgender identified people:
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/non-binary-pronouns-why-they-matter_us_5a03107be4b0230facb8419a
2. The mental health challenges many LGBT youth face:
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/mental-health-lgbtq-youth-studies_us_5ae095a2e4b07560f397f903
3. The prevalence of homelessness for LGBT youth:
http://www.newsweek.com/lgbt-youth-homeless-study-727595
Organizations you can donate to:
4. TLC
“Transgender Law Center (TLC) is the largest national trans-led organization advocating self-determination for all people. Grounded in legal expertise and committed to racial justice, TLC employs a variety of community-driven strategies to keep transgender and gender nonconforming people alive, thriving, and fighting for liberation.”
Donate here: https://transgenderlawcenter.org/donate
5. True Colors Fund
“In America, it is estimated that up to 1.6 million youth experience homelessness each year. 40% of those young people identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender… The True Colors Fund is working to reduce that disproportionate percentage from 40% to none.
Donate here: https://my.truecolorsfund.org/give/118989/#!/donation/checkout
6. National Black Justice Coalition
“The National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) is a civil rights organization dedicated to the empowerment of Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and same gender loving (LGBTQ/SGL) people, including people living with HIV/AIDS. NBJC’s mission is to end racism, homophobia, and LGBTQ/SGL bias and stigma.”
Donate here: https://www.mightycause.com/organization/National-Black-Justice-Coalition
7. Live Out Loud
“By providing youth with opportunities to interact with adults who understand the realities of living openly as a member of the LGBTQ community, Live Out Loud helps young people to achieve academic success, healthy relationships, rewarding careers, and a fulfilling life.”
Donate here: https://www.liveoutloud.info/donate/