1. Join one of the many highlightself-affirming groups/highlight
 and programs at The Center.
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Center of New York City offers countless programs, meet-ups, and mindfulness groups to help you ground yourself and while building community. Interested in learning more? Browse their Pride week offerings here.

2.  Connect to your city and highlightlocal community /highlight by volunteering!
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Gods Love, We Deliver was founded in 1986 when Ganga Stone took action during the AIDS crisis and hand-delivered meals to patients too sick to cook for themselves. Last year, the non-profit organization served over 7,200 patients. You can volunteer by assisting with food prep throughout the day, or riding along to deliver meals. Sign up to volunteer [here] (https://glwd.volunteerhub.com/events/index).

3. Release highlightstress and tension/highlight in a yoga class focused on the LGBTQ community. 
Third Root Community Health Center offers queer and trans-focused yoga every Sunday at 5:15pm. Led by instructor Kiki Williams, she shares that her queer and trans yoga is a class specifically for LGBT community that leaves heterosexism and transphobia outside the classroom. It allows for participants to be fully present and embodied. This class builds community as we create space to reach each other and all of our different bodies and genders. Sign up here.

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4. Connect with your inner ballet dancer in highlightan inclusive environment./highlight
Founded in 2011 by genderqueer lesbian choreographer Katy Pyle, Ballez offers a safe and inclusive environment for people of all backgrounds to explore the art of ballet.  For example, Adult Ballez is offered June 10th and 17th in Brooklyn or anywhere via their YouTube series. Pyle describes it as a ballet class that strives to re-imagine what ballet can be, who it can be for, and how it can be done. Learn more here.

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5. Attend a performance led by highlightLGBTQ artists and creators./highlight 
Sometimes self-care looks like planning a night out with friends, family, or your significant other.  Opt for an inclusive experience like The Bronx Academy of the Arts and Dances Out Like That! festival. The performing and visual arts space showcases the work of queer artists from the Bronx (and beyond) specifically throughout Pride month. Catch a performance here.

Take a break during your busy Pride schedule to care for yourselfand support others. 

Anyone who has attended a New York City Pride Parade knows a few things to be true: its beautiful, its hot, and its an experience youll never forget. This year, our city will play host to WorldPride as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the historic Stonewall riots, a turning point in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights in our city (and our country).  
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As members of the LGBTQ+ community (myself included!), Pride is our time to celebrate, express ourselves, and rise up in the continued fight for our rights. While this isat least in my opinionthe very best time of the year, it can also be an exhausting month both physically and emotionally. As we prepare for our citys largest Pride event yet, Ive collected a few ways to relax, unwind and show yourself some serious self-care during the month of June. 



5 Ways to Practice Self-Care During NYC Pride Month

Fostering inclusivity in the workplace (or anywhere) cannot be underestimated in its importance. Along my own journey, and as an advocate for others later, I learned that implementing a few easy changes in the workplace can make a world of difference. In recognition of Pride Month this June, consider a few of these ways you and your company can be better alliesthose who are willing to take action to promote equalityto members of the trans and non-binary communities.

Broaden Your Search For Transgender Hires

According to a report written by the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force and National Center For Transgender Equality, trans and gender non-conforming people experience double the rate of unemployment as the general population (and up to four times the national rate if they were also a person of color).

What's more, one in six people who were surveyed reported losing a job over being trans, and 27% reported being fired, withheld advancements, or not being hired in the first place. Make it clear that your company is looking for great people of all identities by posting jobs on LGBTQ-specific job boards like Out & Equal Workplace Advocates. This especially goes for internships, where younger transgender peoplewho might or might not be outare often seeking their first professional places of work and can truly be shaped by that experience for the rest of their lives. Your human resources team can also collaborate with local high school gender/sexuality alliances (GSAs) or even LGBTQ community centers with some old-school flyersreaching out to potential hires that others may have overlooked.

Encourage the Use of Appropriate Pronouns

It's easy to make assumptions, but using the right pronoun for a trans person is just as important as getting their name right. Chances are, pronouns will come up naturally in conversation, but if you're unsure about which pronouns a person uses, you can start by offering your own first: "Hi, I'm Hannah and I use the pronouns she and her. What about yourself?" If this idea feels out of your comfort zone or if it still sounds like you're singling someone out, suggest to your human resources team that pronouns and titles become part of your company directory or email signatures, where each employee can write in which one(s) they use.

When in doubt, especially in a group setting, you can use "they" as a singular, gender-neutral pronounin fact, it was the 2015 Word of the Year. At the end of the day, don't beat yourself up if you accidentally use the wrong pronoun. Just apologize and move on.

Not everyone falls into the category of "man" and "woman." Designating some gender-neutral restrooms, single stalls or otherwise, not only makes them more efficient for all genders, but its a simple way to increase comfort and safety in the workplace. Many trans and gender non-conforming people have limited access to bathrooms due to the harassment [and] violencethey experience in both womens and mens bathrooms, Ethan Lin, director of grassroots fundraising and communications of the Sylvia Rivera Law Project, told Teen Vogue.

In some cases, carrying out a gender-neutral restroom is as easy as slapping on a new sign: Download one Birchbox created here. Companies can even take the signs to the next level by specifying information like whether the restroom contains a single stall, urinals, and/or a changing table to make it easy for employees to know where to go.

As a medical student when I first came out, my school refused to print me a new ID without a court order, which was an expensive and time-consuming process. My male name and picture on my ID at the time no longer matched my physical presentationinstantly revealing that I was transgender to my colleagues and any patients I encountered. As an interim solution, one department chair offered to place stickers of Hannah over my old name and replace the photo with a "feminine"-looking picture of myself from Facebook.

The school eventually issued me a new ID, but confronting the administration over it (along with other unrelated incidents) escalated tensions that unfortunately led to me taking a hiatus from the programsomething I wish that no one ever needs to resort to. As soon as an employee requests a new ID or an email address update, it's essential that the company moves swiftly to make it a smoother, less awkward transition.

The best way to be an ally to transgender people is simply to listen and understand that your actions not only help shape a culture of respect, but create a safer, healthier workplace for all people (transgender or not). Don't be afraid to admit when you don't understand something and seek out resources (seminars, articles, documentaries) that will help you learn more instead of making incorrect assumptions. I personally admire writer, producer, and advocate Dawn Ennis, host of talk show RiseUP with Dawn Ennis, who focuses on politics, culture, and guiding readers to learn the facts. I also tell new colleagues and friends who have questions to watch a video I created with Refinery29 called "What Being Trans Is Really Like". But most of all, being a better ally just takes a little confidence and an open mind. So are you ready? Let's not wait to start breaking down conventions.

In recognition of Pride Month this June, consider a few of these ways you and your workplace can be a better ally to members of the trans and non-binary communities.

Coworkers can become like your second family, often one we see more than our own loved ones at home. I was in medical school when I first came out as a transgender woman, a time when I was part student and part apprentice employee in clinical settings. From the first time I heard my new pronoun being respected by my colleagues to being refused a new ID that accurately reflected my transition, I found that being transgender at work can be an experience with true highs and lows.

In Pursuit Of: Embracing Transgender Identity at Work