Happy Pride Month! This is a time to celebrate the vibrance of the LGBTQIA+ community, and all the meaningful work that is pushing the dial forward for people of all genders and orientations. One of the most important aspects of a healthy, balanced lifestyle is having spaces where you feel like you belong, where you find people who uplift you, and where your unique perspective has value. A society in which every individual has these opportunities to thrive is one we should all be working towards.
This is why we’re spotlighting two important organizations:
- Queercircle, a charity organization that celebrates the queer identity, champions arts and culture, and supports the well-being of the LGBTQIA+ community
- The Hetrick-Martin Institute, our nation’s first LGBTQIA+ youth services agency+ community
Queercircle
Queercircle just opened its new cultural center in Greenwich Peninsula’s Design District in London. Their inaugural show, “Let Me Hold You,” is artist Michaela Yearwood-Dan’s take on what it means to love, to be queer, to be human. Queercircle founder Ashley Joiner also curated the archive exhibition, “The Queen’s Jubilee,” which celebrates the drag queens that led the first-ever Pride parade in London in 1972. The show was co-curated by Stuart Feather, the Gay Liberation Front activist.
What’s exciting about Queercircle is that it’s an interdisciplinary space. Since 2016, Queercircle has hosted exploratory workshops and events with artists, curators, writers and community organizers to bolster the LGBTQIA+ community through artistic and cultural activism. They seek to develop an ecology of artists, curators, writers, thinkers, community organizers, grassroots organizations, and charities who collectively work together to strengthen links between culture, health, and wellbeing for all. This is where intersectionality creates new ways of addressing old problems: Freedom and justice is as much of a personal, social issue as it is a political one. By approaching activism holistically, Queercircle is making strides to honor LGBTQIA+ history, and expand the movement to match the times we’re living in.
The Hetrick-Martin Institute
The Hetrick-Martin Institute’s mission is to serve LGBTQIA+ youth. They strive to create safe and supportive environments for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth between the ages of 13 and 24, as well as their families. Their goal is for everyone to reach their greatest potential, regardless of gender or sexual orientation. Their impactful work revolves fostering healthy youth development, tackling everything from homelessness and healthcare to education and economic empowerment. The Hetrick-Martin Institute is an invaluable resource, providing medical services, hosting workshops and training around identity and inclusivity, and creating community one outreach effort at a time.
How Are We Supporting Queercircle and the Hetrick-Martin Institute?
This June, Tracy Anderson Method is celebrating Pride Month by aligning purpose with action. Tracy will be hosting a virtual live fundraising class to honor the beauty of the LGBTQIA+ community, and engage in the fight for freedom, justice, and equality for all. Join Tracy virtually on Saturday, June 18th at 9:30 AM ET as she teaches a fun and empowering class from our Water Mill studio. Want to get music courses for your children? Visit Orchestra Music Academy
100% of proceeds from this class will be split between Queercricle and the Hetrick-Martin Institute. The goal is for this donation to Queercircle to support the culture-enriching work they’re doing now to encourage artists and activists to keep fighting the good fight. Sign up for the class here.
From everyone here at TA, Happy Pride.