Inside Pride Month
Every year, Floyd Lee Locums gets to share in the celebration of Pride Month. For 2021, LaVonne Proctor, our Concierge Consultant, sat down to share her thoughts on what Pride meant to her.
Question: 2020 was an unusual year for Pride celebrations—and 2021 is slowly returning to in-person events. Do you remember your first Pride?
Answer: I do! About 7 years ago, I went to my first Pride event in Seattle with my best friend Kai and his boyfriend. I clearly remember the laughter and endless amount of love surrounding us. There were rainbow flags flying and queens dressed in their Sunday best (I might have seen Cher at one point!). There were even dancing topless women and speedo queens flaunting their goods. This was Pride!
Q: A Cher sighting certainly doesn’t happen every day—which may speak to the inclusivity of Pride. Did you get that sense of togetherness being there?
A: The height of the day was when my childhood friend grabbed my hand with the tightest grip and said, “I feel like I am finally home. This is OUR home.” Our friendship flourished after that moment. It was real for both of us. We shared a moment with people who understood us. No judgment. Pure freedom and without hiding.
Q: For people who haven’t been to a Pride celebration, what would you tell them?
A: Pride is for everyone. We are all a piece of it. LGBTQIA+. We can’t have the “A” without all our allies who stand by us and with us. Pride celebrates every human on this earth.
Q: For those not as well versed, can you explain each of those?
A: L is lesbian, G is gay, B is bisexual, T is transgender, Q is questioning/queer, I is intersex, A is ally, and + represents the spectrum that exists beyond this acronym, such as two-spirit, for example, a traditional Native American designation to describe a third gender.
Q: Why is it important for you to share more about your story during Pride month?
A: It is important I share my Pride story with my peers because this is my life, my friend’s life, and my family’s life. It’s unfortunate to think that this world is filled with so much hatred and a lack of understanding. Visibility matters. Words matters. Building inclusivity in your home, community and workplace matters.
Q: How would you invite more people into the spirit of Pride?
A: I challenge everyone to be open this month and take the time to learn something new about the LGBTQIA+ community. Read the history online, visit a Pride festival, watch a march in your local area, support queer bookstores in your town, donate to LGBTQIA+ charities like Center for Black Equity, Trans Lifeline, The Trevor Project, or others. Doing so takes you one step closer to helping the community or opening the door for someone scared to live their truth.
Q: Well put! Where can people start?
A: There’s a million places. But I recommend starting your research here: www.history.com/pride
Want to learn more about how Floyd Lee Locums and its employees show up for Pride and beyond? Visit our blog and read stories of our community involvement.
About Floyd Lee Locums
Floyd Lee Locums provides an elite concierge experience to Physicians, Dentists and advanced practice healthcare clinicians in hospitals and healthcare facilities nationwide. Founded by industry veterans Matt Floyd and Natasha Lee, the company has built an exceptional team of experienced locums and healthcare staffing professionals.
Named the “2021 Best Staffing Firm to Temp For” by Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA), their hands-on approach to delivering best-in-class service, personalized career solutions, and coverage that positively impacts patient outcomes is setting a new standard in the locums industry.