Visibility is crucial to fighting the shame and social stigma still attached to the LGBTQIA+ community.

Celebrating PRIDE is a way to empower those who identify as LGBTQIA+ and to help reclaim the rights and freedoms that are still so often denied to the community.

It’s a chance to come together and unite against the exclusion so many face, fear and feel and to offer support whether you identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community or want to be an ally.

Pride is about showing up as you are, accepting yourself for who you are and encouraging others to do the same. It’s about being unapologetically you, whatever that version of you is! This is a message I wholeheartedly stand behind and one I strive to bring into all counselling sessions with me.

Nothing lights me up more than helping people accept themselves for who they are and to grow comfortable in their own skin.

Pride is about celebrating that journey and all the obstacles and heartache a person has had to face (and maybe is still facing) in order to get there.

So, whether you identify as LBTQIA+ or are an ally or are somebody trying to find out more information so that you can be an ally - happy pride month to you. I hope it brings you comfort, joy, empowerment and a sense of community.

I’m also aware that this month and everything it stands for may stir up painful feelings, maybe you’re from a family or a culture where you can’t yet be unapologetically you. Or perhaps you’re struggling with your identity and this month has posed a lot of questions and emotions for you.

If anything mentioned here resonates with you and you feel ready to unpack it further, get in touch.