HAFA Adai and Tirow CNMI!
While Pride celebrations look differently again this year, there’s no denying that the spirit of pride is alive. Pride is so much more than a festival or parade — pride lives in our history, our homes, our communities and our hearts every day. On behalf of Pride Marianas Youth, Pride Marianas, the T-Project, our volunteers, and community partners we are excited to invite you to this year’s CNMI Pride month proclamation on June 1, 2022 at 10 a.m. at the Minachom Atdao Pavilion.
Every year, during the month of June, the LGBTQIA+ community celebrates in a number of different ways. Across the globe, various events are held during this special month as a way of recognizing the influence LGBTQIA+ people have had around the world. Pride Month is a time where many collective voices unite to support our LGBTQIA+ community. It is a time celebrated to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in New York City and the efforts of those who have worked to pursue equality for all members of the LGBTQIA+ community, a tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the United States. Over the years since the Stonewall riots, many gay rights organizations have been formed, brave individuals persevered for equal rights, and communities have come together, not just in the U.S. but around the world and on our very shores of the CNMI.
As well as being a month long celebration, Pride month is also an opportunity to peacefully protest and raise political awareness of current issues facing the community, and there have been many this past year. Pride Month is celebrated because it jointly marks the start of significant change within the LGBTQIA+ community, as well as the wider societal implications where brave battles continue. It is time we come together to honor and remember our members of the community who have been lost to hate crimes. That we continue to remember them in our thoughts as we give light through the darkness of discrimination, violence, and injustices. And while oppressive attitudes still remain in a smaller few, we have come a long way since the riots of 1969. We continue in this long standing tradition, with our unique needs here in the CNMI. We continue to give voice and raise awareness for a CNMI that celebrates diversity, inclusion, allyship for a common cause, and for our youth to thrive in a better place than we found it. Pride has many definitions and has been described as a feeling of satisfaction or happiness, and has been used in reference to a collective sense of self-worth and respect deserved for all. It is this month, and all year around, we invite you to join us as we increase awareness of the issues we continue to face and ways we can celebrate our “Pride in Paradise,” as we “Rise Above, Lead with Love,” our theme for this year.
The Pride month 2022 theme “Pride in Paradise — Rise Above, Lead with Love” was chosen by our members, who felt it fitting for this year’s celebrations, made alive by the many people in our diverse LGBTQIA+ community. Our home, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands along with its beauty, culture, family, and sense of community is truly a paradise to revel in! “Rising above,” is to reflect on adversity and opportunities, to fail and succeed, to repair and to heal, and to be or become better when called on for brave actions. “Leading with love” is paving the way of knowing and caring about what inspires and empowers others. It’s about caring enough to know what is important and helping those around us succeed. The celebration for this year’s theme in our paradise community furthers the momentum by which our youth lead the way so that they and their allies feel nurtured and safe enough to be vulnerable to have courageous conversations, where people feel heard, seen, and truly cared about. And, if done well, builds stronger connections with those that lead with love as their sources of strength within a culture where everyone can feel the freedoms of identity and expression, affection, tenderness, care, and compassion. Rising above with the freedom to openly acknowledge our potential to make things happen so that our youth can thrive in braver, safer, and more inclusive spaces that everyone deserves.
The purpose of the commemorative month is to recognize the impact that LGBTQIA+ individuals have had on history locally, nationally, and internationally. We want to encourage all partners to get involved and find creative ways to show support. We urge our community to raise awareness of LGBTQIA+ rights. Your continued support is crucial for a loving and accepting environment especially for our LGBTQIA+ youth. Continuing to celebrate Pride month marks the resilience, struggles, celebrations, and pride that exist within our community. It honors the battles that have paved the way for the progress we now enjoy, while acknowledging the tremendous work that is still left for us to do as we come together to support, love, and thrive. That in our Pride in Paradise, We Rise Above, and Lead with Love.
We are inviting the community to join our celebration. Many of our calendar of activities and events are being shared and several are forthcoming. Our youth and community volunteers greatly appreciate your symbols of support. Thank you for your continued support to the LGBTQIA+ community and our youth and the continued efforts as their strongest ally all year long. This gesture is truly appreciated by our volunteer grassroots organizations of family members, friends, allies, and members of our LGBTQIA+ community. Please feel free to forward this message to spread the invitation for all to celebrate with us.
