June 2022 marks the 52nd celebration of Pride Month – Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas (BCBSKS) encourages the inclusion of all employees. We are recognizing Pride Month by changing our logo to the six rainbow colors that represent the LGBTQIA+ community.
“The Pride logo is a testament to the LGBTQIA+ community, that BCBSKS sees and hears them and recognizes their contributions to society. Additionally, as BCBSKS employees, we often say that we are ‘Kansans serving Kansans’ – this includes LGBTQIA+ Kansans as well,” said Lonnie Walker Jr., director, diversity, equity and inclusion.
Pride Month celebrates all members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual (LGBTQIA+) community. The gay rights movement in the United States has seen huge progress in the last century, and especially the last two decades. Laws prohibiting the LGBTQIA+ community from living equitable lives compared to those outside of their community have been struck down; LGBTQIA+ individuals can now serve openly in the military. And same-sex couples can now legally get married and adopt children in all 50 states.
This month-long celebration promotes self-affirmation, dignity, equality and increased visibility of the LGBTQIA+ community. It has been a long road for gay rights proponents, who are still advocating for employment, housing and transgender rights.
Pride Month began in June 1970 to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall Uprising (also known as the Stonewall Riots or Stonewall Uprising) in New York. The month has since expanded to celebrate all members of the LGBTQIA+ community and social movements. The traditional gay pride flag, you’ll probably see most often, has six colors. The rainbow flag can operate as a general flag for the LGBTQIA+ community, but it’s not necessarily all-inclusive. Other flags (intersex, asexual, non-binary, etc.) embody different identities that exist within Q (queer) and/or outside the acronym.
Join us as we acknowledge and celebrate our fellow Kansans for Pride Month.
Source: History.com