To the UMB Community:

June is Pride Month, a time to honor and celebrate the life, achievements, and identities of our LGBTQIA+ community.

We at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) honor trailblazers, innovators, and leaders who have inspired us by their examples of perseverance, courage, and brilliance — people like Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray, who was born in Baltimore and was a lawyer, feminist, civil rights activist, priest, and poet. Murray founded the Congress of Racial Equality with others in the early 1940s and influenced, among others, a young Martin Luther King Jr. and the National Organization for Women, as well as Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Chase Strangio, deputy director for transgender justice with the American Civil Liberties Union’s LGBT & HIV Project, was counsel in one of the cases that led to the Supreme Court ruling that LGBTQ+ people would be protected in the workplace and public spaces by federal anti-discrimination laws. Strangio is a lifelong champion and advocate for LGBTQ+ people.

As we observe Pride Month, we also recognize that members of the LGBTQIA+ community still lack protections for fundamental rights and continue to experience threats, homophobia, and acts of violence in our society. We acknowledge that trans women of color continue to experience violent and deadly attacks that exist within a backdrop of a rise in anti-trans legislation in states across the country. Despite these challenges, there has been some progress over the last few years, including the Supreme Court ruling in 2020 that affirmed that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act protects the employment rights of gay, lesbian, and transgender workers.

We at UMB affirm our commitment of support in the struggle for dignity and justice as we live our core values of Respect and Integrity and celebrate our colleagues and friends in this community.

UMB is pleased to support and celebrate our LGBTQIA+ community with educational and community programming and events in June.

Pride Community Social Hour: Anti-Capitalist Crafts
June 1 | 4-6 p.m. | Elm Room B, SMC Campus Center | Register Here
Rainbow capitalism, the act of using or adding rainbow colors and/or imagery to indicate progressive support for LGBTQ+ equality, but with little to no actual effort or result for the community, is nobody's friend. Join Stonewall Pride, the LGBTQ+ staff and faculty affinity group, and the UMB Intercultural Center to make your own personalized Pride buttons, learn more about local and LGBTQ+-owned businesses, and say a big “heck no” to rainbow capitalism.

Increasing LGBTQ+ Awareness and Allyship (101)
June 6 | Noon-1 p.m. | Virtual | Register Here
This workshop follows the multicultural counseling framework of developing awareness, knowledge, skills, and action to support the LGBTQ+ community. The goal of the workshop is to increase the participants’ awareness of their own biases and privileges, provide information on LGBTQ+ identities and experiences, develop skills to be an ally and move from tolerance to acceptance, and provide action steps and resources to continue to educate yourself. This training will be interactive and there will be time built in for discussion, so come ready to engage and ask questions.

UMSON Month Pride Event: Cultural Competencies: Effects of Misgendering
June 7 | Noon | Virtual | Register Here
Join us for the School of Nursing’s Pride Month event featuring Maryland social worker Randall Leonard, MSW ’14, LCSW-C. Leonard will discuss how misgendering and “deadnaming” of clients can create unsafe health care experiences, diminish health outcomes, and damage rapport with clients.

Working with LGBTQ+ Clients and Patients (201)
June 8 | Noon-1 p.m. | Virtual | Register Here
This workshop follows the multicultural counseling framework of developing awareness, knowledge, skills, and action to work clinically with LGBTQ+ clients. The goal is to increase the participants’ awareness of their own biases and privileges, provide information on the experiences of LGBTQ+ people, develop skills to work with LGBTQ+ clients and patients in effective ways, and provide action steps to elevate social justice activism. This workshop will be interactive and include time built in for discussion, so come ready to engage and ask questions. This training is best for folks who have a 101 baseline knowledge of the LGBTQ+ community and want to expand their awareness, knowledge, and skills to specifically support LGBTQ+ clients and patients.

‘The Table’ Dialogue: Pro- and Anti-Trans Legislation in the U.S.
June 21 | Noon-1 p.m. | Virtual | Register Here
This month’s dialogue will focus on legislation impacting trans people in the United States while also examining the shifting societal messages about trans people, from invisibility to hypervisibility. “The Table” is a monthly dialogue series where UMB students, staff, and faculty are invited to discuss current issues and unpack questions regarding social identity and social issues.

Pride in the Park Meet-Up with Stonewall Pride
June 25 | 3-6 p.m. | Druid Hill Park, 900 Druid Park Lake Drive, Baltimore
Meet with members of Stonewall Pride at Baltimore Pride’s official Pride in the Park event. Whether you’re a longtime member or completely new to the group, we’d love for you to join us. Drop by our blanket to socialize, relax, play some games, or just say hi.

Thank you for your continued commitment to equity, inclusion, and justice. 
In partnership and collaboration,

Diane Forbes Berthoud, PhD, MA
Chief Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Officer and Vice President, UMB
Professor, Graduate School