June is National Pride Month, which means it’s a great time to have some fun and enjoy celebrating this amazing group of people. Whether you are part of the LGBTQ community, or you simply want to share your support, there’s a lot of amazing things to participate in during pride month. However, a lot of people love to travel and spend money during this amazing time. If you’re on a tight budget, this can be overwhelming. However, there are actually many things you can do that will help you to enjoy yourself without forcing you to spend a lot of money. So, check out these ten tips if you’re looking to be frugal while still enjoying everything that pride month brings to the table.
1. Attend a Parade
Pride parades are one of the more popular aspects of pride month, so you’ve probably seen images or even visited a parade. This is one of the best ways to have some fun without spending a dime, if you don’t want to. It doesn’t matter if you’re just watching the parade or participating, you’re bound to have a lot of fun. The energy at these events is usually positive, especially if you find an area that is free of protestors. A lot of people that go to these parades love to dress up, which can add even more fun to the event. You can usually do this with items you have around the house or items you can cheaply pick up at the thrift store. Parades can be found across the nation and even the globe, so you’re bound to find one nearby. However, if you really want to have some fun then check out a parade in a large city.
2. Create a Rainbow Flag
Over the years, rainbows have become a symbol for the LGBTQ community. Having a rainbow flag is one of the best ways to show your support for the community while adding some fun to your own style. You can easily make a rainbow flag at home in many ways. For starters, you can take old fabric in a variety of colors and sew it together. This creates a fun flag that you can fly or carry around with you. You might also consider making rainbow flags to patch your clothes or show off your pride. If you’re looking to keep things simple, then you can make a flag out of paper. This is a great project for kids too, which will help them feel like a part of the celebration. You may find yourself making so many flags that you’ll be able to share them with friends and strangers to help support the community.
3. Enjoy a Community Event
In most communities, you should see a lot of pride events happening this month. Of course, you will have to keep you eye out for them, because advertising might not be in abundance. One of the more popular events, especially in larger cities is concerts. You might find these hosted in stadiums, but you will more frequently find them in coffee shops and other small venues. Rallies are another popular thing to find during the month of June as they help bring awareness to the community. Of course, you should also look for event that might otherwise entertain you, such as book readings and art gallery openings. There’s a little something for everyone, which ties in well with this inclusive month.
4. Add Rainbows to Your Style
June is the perfect month to express yourself and one of the best ways to do so is to add rainbows to your personal style. If you’re feeling bold then you might consider giving your hair a new look by dying it in the colors of the rainbow. You can do this at home with the help from a friend or you might find a great deal at a salon. Some salons that promote the LGBTQ community might even offer discounts on such a bold hair style. Of course, if you don’t want to work on your hair then you can easily add rainbows to your own personal style. For instance, you might make a rainbow shirt or tie dye using all of the colors of the rainbow. Patches on your jeans and jacket might also keep you looking cool. Rainbow shoes are also becoming even more popular too. Your fashion choices are only limited by your imagination, so have some fun with your look.
5. Learn About the Issues
Although there are a ton of fun things to do during pride month, it is also imperative that you look at the issues this community faces too. This is to help the world progress and become a more inclusive place. In this day and age, things might seem a lot better for the community as marriage equality and other LGBTQ laws have been passed. However, there is still so much room for progress. There are bathroom issues, hate issues and many legal aspects that the community must face. So, try to keep up to date with what is happening in the community and work to make sure inclusive laws are passed. This will help keep the world a safe and enjoyable place for everyone.
6. Embrace Culture
When it comes to learning about the world, LGBTQ contributors are often not mentioned and when they are it isn’t common for them to be recognized as LGBTQ. So, you might want to spend the month of June learning all about the LGBTQ community and how much they have contributed to the world. For starters, many artists are LGBTQ, but they often don’t get the recognition they deserve. Music and movies are another great way to become familiar with the culture of this group. You may find you know more than you think, or you might find some cultural elements that you fall in love with. There are many books that span time that will interest you too. Apart from art, you can find lots of LGBTQ contributors that have become leaders in the community, may it be in politics or fighting for justice. There is so much to explore and learn, so have fun educating yourself during this month. Most librarians will be able to steer you in the right direction, but a simple internet search can do the trick too.
7. Support a LGBTQ group
In most communities, there are LGBTQ groups designed to help those that are struggling, trying to learn more about themselves or simply just want to be a part of the community. These groups are often understaffed and underfunded, so you might take some time to donate or volunteer this month. One of the neediest groups are those designed to help teenagers. Some of these groups actually work to home and protect teens that have been cast out of their houses due to their orientation. Some of the groups even help teens tackle mental health issues that might stem from rejection or bullying due to their LGBTQ orientation. It is imperative that these groups find the help they need for a better future for all. Even donating a few hours a month can make a huge difference.
8. Host a Party
Part of celebrating pride month is bringing the community together to accept and celebrate the LGBTQ community. One of the best ways to do this is to host a party to help everyone mingle and enjoy each other’s company. You might try to come up with a great LGBTQ playlist to inspire everyone to dance and have a good time. Another great idea is to whip up some rainbow foods. There’s lots of great recipes online and you can even make natural dye if you’re hoping to steer clear of harmful dyes. If you want to save money, then host a potluck instead. Although having fun is the idea, make sure that everyone present is polite and accepting of those around them.
9. Teach Your Family Love
One of the most important things you can do during pride month and throughout the year is teach your family love. This message will help improve acceptance in the future so that the future generation will have more love to spread around. There are many ways to help teach your children acceptance, but this message always starts in the home. If you’re having trouble finding ways to bring up the subject with your children or to simply talk to them about this matter then look online. There’s an abundance of first hand accounts as well as psychological websites that can help you approach the topic appropriately.
10. Stay Educated
Of course, keeping yourself educated is very important too. There are lots of news and information about the LGBTQ community that often don’t make it to mainstream media. This can really cause you to be in the dark with many issues. So, you might want to check out a publication that is based around the community. This will help you learn about the injustices the community is facing, current issues that are pending laws and so much more. On top of that, it will introduce you to new art and other cultural aspects. There are many publications online, so you won’t even have to purchase a subscription if you don’t have the extra money.
Pride month is a great time to celebrate an amazing community, so stressing over money simply shouldn’t stand in your way. These ten tips will help you make the most out of pride month, so you can truly enjoy yourself. This should allow you to have the time of your life enjoying pride month and all of the fun activities that it creates to make June all the more enjoyable.
