By: Susan Oser, NFBPWC Advocacy Team LGBTQIA+ Lead 

June starts the summer of Pride and Pride Month is big in the United States.  Try to visit at least one Pride event in or near your area to connect to the community and learn the LGBTQIA+ is all about.  Have fun and stay safe! 

LGBTQ+ Icon of the Month: 

Eleanor Roosevelt

Why highlight?  

Not only is she known to be the wife of former U.S. President Franklin D. 

Roosevelt, but she was also an activist in her own right.  In addition, there has been research that states that she had a tight knit circle of friends, including a few lesbians (who had to still be closeted at the time).  Sure, this might be controversial, and some of you may not believe this fact to be true. However, in Eleanor’s case, she is a good example of the time when one had to hide in the closet.  We must remember though that her lifestyle, like anyone’s lifestyle should not be a determinant as to the kind of person she was and how she was such a powerful figure in the United States at the time of her husband’s presidency. 

Source(s) for more information: 

• 24 Very Gay Excerpts from Eleanor Roosevelt’s Love Letters with Lorena Hickok - https://www.autostraddle.com/24-very-gay-excerpts-from-eleanor-roosevelts-love-letters-withlorena-hickok-346115/ 

• Eleanor Roosevelt’s Controversial Love Letters to Lorena Hickok - https://www.themarginalian.org/2012/10/11/eleanor-roosevelt-lorena-hickok-lo ve-letters/ 

• Eleanor Roosevelt on the Power of Personal Conviction and Our Individual Responsibility in Social Change -https://www.themarginalian.org/2016/05/02/eleanor-roosevelt-tomorrow-is-now/ 

Good LGBTQ+ News for June –  

• Mental Health and Access to Care for LGBTQ+ Girls and Young Women - https://tinyurl.com/5aa9urd9 

• 20 LGBTQ+ Organizations You Can Support Right Now - https://www.realsimple.com/worklife/lgbtq-organizations-to-donate 

• A journey through love: 25 noteworthy LGBTQ+ romance movies -https://tinyurl.com/bdej6ewb And now for the BAD news: 

• State Department, FBI, and DHS warn of potential attacks on Pride events worldwide. - https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-69013313?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=2b94829841ab-46d8-ae0c-aeef05688f0b 

• Girl turned away from Florida public school prom because she wore a suit - https://tinyurl.com/473jj3e3 

If you have any news or leads on anything related to LGBTQ+ news, issues, and organizations, please contact Sue Oser at soser@nfbpwc.org