Pride Month is dedicated to the celebration of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender pride, which began after the Stonewall riots, a series of gay liberation protests in 1969. Celebrating love, fighting discrimination, and honoring our differences are values that Taskrabbit recognizes year-round.
For Pride Month this year, Taskrabbit is focusing fundraising efforts on two LGBTQ+ charities in the US and the UK.
The Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund is committed to ending discrimination based upon gender identity and expression and to achieving equality for transgender people through public education, test-case litigation, direct legal services, and public policy efforts.
Mermaids is one of the UK’s leading LGBTQ+ charities, empowering thousands of people with its secure online communities, local community groups, helpline services, web resources, events, and residential weekends.
Fred Braunstein and Ashlee Jones, the leaders of Taskrabbit’s LGBTQ+ cultural affinity group Queer @ TR, explain why they chose these two trans rights organizations to support.
“The LGBTQ+ community has become a legislative and cultural target for extremists. These bills – several of which have already become law – would block gender-affirming care for transgender people, impact parental rights, limit social and family services, restrict student sports, limit discussions concerning sexual orientation or gender identity in schools, and remove access to public facilities such as restrooms.
These bills have been accompanied by a wave of anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and actions. And, sadly, the epidemic of fatal violence against the trans community, particularly trans people of color, has continued.”
Caryn Cueto, Senior Product Manager and member of Queer @ TR says, “Our group has put together a robust calendar of Pride programming, with a theme of Strength and Solidarity. We’ve chosen to focus this year on celebrating and uplifting the trans and nonbinary communities, putting into practice one of our core values of Care Deeply.”
Better Ways To Be An Ally
An ally is someone who supports the LGBTQ+ community and does their part in helping break down the stigma and discrimination that continues to affect the community. Taking action, being an advocate, and being willing to learn as well as willing to educate others is what it takes to be an even better ally.
Stay educated. Read up on LGBTQ+ rights, laws, and celebrations!
- Educate yourself on Transgender and Nonbinary FAQs
- Track and defend against the 400+ anti-LGBTQ+ bills in the US
- Learn what it means to be Black and queer celebrating Pride and Juneteenth all in the same month
Confront your biases. Don’t be afraid to have the difficult conversations. Call out prejudice when you see it and make a point to educate others.
Learn about trailblazers. So many icons have paved the way for LGBTQ+ rights and have changed the course of history. A few to name: Marsha P. Johnson. Sylvia Rivera. Audre Lorde. Harvey Milk.
Support LGBTQ+ businesses and charities. Many organizations are the lifeline to LGBTQ+ communities and provide a sense of safety and security. When you make a gift to these organizations, you’re ensuring that these services and businesses can continue to grow and help the people that need them the most.
