About Pride in the Valley - LGBTQ Community
Pride in the Valley was created with pride and promise to celebrate the LGBTQ community. They want to honor its past and fearlessness, while also celebrating a future of hard work and success. The festival's purpose is not only to bring together diverse members of the community but also to honor individuals who have fought for their freedom to celebrate in public.
The festival is a way to fuse together a fun atmosphere for everyone to feel comfortable in and the message that all people; no matter their sexuality, gender identity, gender expression, HIV status, age, race, ethnicity, religion, or other determining factors; have the right to live life to the fullest.
This event is not only a day of celebrating, but also a way for Full Spectrum Community Outreach to continue to help the community. They raise funds for many aspects of the Center that are only available during certain times of the year and open to all members of the community.
Pride in the Valley was created as a way to bridge the gap between members of the LGBTQ community and help everyone feel like they are accepted.
There were vendors, live performances, food trucks and some carnival attractions. Mask wearing and social distancing was also enforced.
A local artist was selling her paintings and on occasion has donated some of the profits to the International Union League for Brand Responsibility. The International Union League was created to be a global network of garment worker unions with low labor wages.
[gallery ids="4202,4203,4204,4205,4206,4207,4208,4209,4210,4211,4212"]PRIDE FESTIVAL: 12:00 PM - 8:00 PM
LOCATION: Courthouse Square, 161 High St. NW, Warren, OH 44481
Full Spectrum Community Outreach, a nonprofit in Struthers, held the Pride in the Valley Celebration event at Courthouse Square.
About the LGBTQ community
The LGBT community is a loosely defined group of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and other LGBT organizations and cultures united by a common social movement.
What does LGBTQ mean?
LGBTQ is an acronym for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer or Questioning. These terms are used to describe a person's sexual orientation or gender identity.
LESBIAN
A woman whose sexual orientation is to other women. Some lesbians may prefer to refer to themselves as gay instead of lesbian, but 'lesbian' is the more traditional term.
GAY
The adjective used to describe people who feel enduring physical, romantic, and/or emotional attraction to those of the same sex. Sometimes lesbian is the preferred term for women.
BISEXUAL
A person who feels romantically and sexually attracted to the same sex or the opposite sex. The intensity of that attraction may vary from person to person. Bisexual people just need to be attracted to two or more genders. They don't have to have been sexually active with any of them.
TRANSGENDER
"A term used broadly for people whose gender identity and/or gender expression differ from the one typically associated with their sex assigned at birth". Under the transgender umbrella, some people may use terms like transgender to describe themselves. Doctors may prescribe hormones to bring their body into alignment with their gender identity. Not every transgender person will be able to have surgery and the medical procedures involved. However, the person's identity is independent of physical appearances or what surgical or medical steps have been taken.
QUEER
Queer people are not exclusively heterosexual. While they identify as lesbian, gay, and bisexual, some use the term queer because these terms are seen to be too limiting or a cultural connotation. Some people use queer, or genderqueer, to describe their gender identity and/or gender expression. It used to be a derogatory term, but is now being reclaimed by some LGBTQ+ people as a label for themselves; although this is not accepted by everyone in the community.
QUESTIONING
Sometimes, the Q can stand for questioning at the end of LGBT. This term refers to someone who is questioning their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Major Health Disparities Affecting the LGBTQ+ Community
The LGBTQ+ community faces many health disparities. The main causes of these disparities are lack of access to health services, discrimination, and violence. These health disparities are caused by a combination of external factors and internalized homophobia. When you add this to the lack of understanding of the LGBTQ+ culture, it is easy to see how vast these differences can be.
There are six major health disparities that the LGBTQ+ community faces which include:
- 1. mental and physical health
- Violence
- Environmental and occupational health
- Substance abuse
- HIV/AIDS
- Cancer