Past Pride Months

Pride Month 2022: Breaking Out of the Shell

Throughout three years of restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the LGBTQ+ community has persevered through the unique challenges of finding connection through virtual spaces and online forums. This year, we embrace the opportunity to present our full, authentic selves after a challenging, yet reflective period in quarantine.

In this context, “breaking out of the shell” becomes more than overcoming inhibitions. It is an empowering act that recognizes the transformative process that so many LGBTQ+ individuals experience in their discovery of self-authenticity. It is a moment of visibility that presents a mosaic of intersecting identities that fortifies the heart of UMD’s community. As we use this moment to gather, this month’s theme poses the question: what “shells” have you broken out of? What “shells'' remain - as either shelter or confinement?

Too often in the LGBTQ+ community, the choice to truthfully present your authentic self is not given. For various legislative, social, and cultural reasons, the choice to live out one’s sexual orientation or gender expression becomes a subversive, and sometimes dangerous act. This Pride month, we celebrate all stages of this evolution. At the individual level, we champion the acts of bravery - big and small - to come into one’s self. At the collective level, we rally for an environment that cultivates true belonging instead of tolerance. To our community we ask: what can you do to allow for authenticity?