Hello hello! Happy first day of summer! It’s that time of year—pride is in the air! Hopefully, you’ve gotten out and enjoyed a pride event as the festivities make their way through. This is one of our favorite times of the year because we celebrate who we are as a community through these events, whether spending time with friends/family at a parade, festival, drag show, or even outside around a fire. June is our month to come together to celebrate how far we’ve come, talk about how to progress, and make plans for our future as a community.  

Pride Month holds immense importance as it serves as a platform for raising awareness, promoting acceptance, and advocating for equal rights for the LGBTQ+ community. It is a time to recognize and celebrate the diverse range of sexual orientations and gender identities that exist. Pride Month helps to challenge societal norms and break down the barriers of discrimination, fostering a more inclusive and understanding society. It provides an opportunity for individuals to express their true selves without fear or judgment and encourages dialogue and education about LGBTQ+ issues. By highlighting the achievements and struggles of the community, Pride Month inspires change, supports ongoing activism, and reaffirms the fundamental human rights of every individual, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

LGBTQ+ individuals have played a vital role in paving the way for inclusion and equality throughout history. Their courage, resilience, and activism have sparked significant progress in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights. Iconic figures like Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, who were prominent activists during the Stonewall uprising, are celebrated for their pivotal role in initiating the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement. Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official in California, made tremendous strides in advocating for LGBTQ+ rights before his tragic assassination. The powerful words and activism of Audre Lorde, Bayard Rustin, and many others have also been instrumental in challenging societal norms and promoting acceptance. These remarkable individuals and countless others have left a lasting impact, inspiring future generations to continue the ongoing work toward a more inclusive and equitable world for all.

We have set many short-term and long-term goals throughout our nine months in this position. We have taken in your feedback and still appreciate all the feedback we continue to get to improve what we do for you! One of our short-term projects was to create a Pride Month campaign, and we hope that you all have enjoyed our posts throughout the month but don’t go anywhere yet—we still have a week’s worth of content to share with you! We are so close to surpassing 10K on Instagram—less than 500 followers to go! Be sure to like, comment, and share our posts to help us achieve this goal! Thank you for all your feedback and support as we continue to learn and grow and keep the feedback coming! We’re just getting started!

Short-term Projects

• Surpass 10K followers on Instagram

• • We need support from our members to reach this goal! Increasing our followership will unlock new marketing instruments. Please interact with our posts as much as possible by liking, sharing, and reposting with your family, friends, and colleagues. We plan to complete this project by the end of July.

• Achieve Facebook and Instagram Verification

• • Since we are no longer @ngpa2, we want to make the step to gain blue checkmarks! We see nothing but added benefits and exposure by completing this, which will only enhance the member experience. We plan to complete this project by the end of July.

Long-term Projects

• Analyze components of OTF to understand what content readers want.
• Establish uniformity within our social media platforms.
• Review and compare quarterly social media analytics to understand opportunities for adaptation and growth.