PPIL Hits the Streets During the Pride Parade

Two of our interns: Katie & Kim

As you may already know, June is traditionally Pride Month for the LGBT community. This month celebrates the diversity and culture around the community and simultaneously advocates for equal rights for people of all sexual orientations. Such events typically culminate in a parade, or in the instance of Illinois, the Chicago Pride Parade. 

Chicago Pride has grown to be one the largest Pride events in the world.  This year marked the 43rd year of the Chicago Pride Parade.  With over 850,000 estimated in attendance, this year was the largest pride parade in Chicago yet.

Kyle Ann, Sara, Melissa, Ari

Planned Parenthood believes in the fundamental right of each individual, throughout the world, to manage his or her fertility, regardless of the individual's income, marital status, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, national origin, or residence. We believe that respect and value for diversity in all aspects of our organization are essential to our well-being.  As such, PPIL strongly supports all efforts towards equalizing rights between people of different sexual orientations.

This year we had a group of fantastic PPIL volunteers and interns at the parade, helping celebrate while asking attendees to sign petitions in support of comprehensive sex education. Noel, one of our volunteers, described the support she received as overwhelming: "When they saw my pink Planned Parenthood t-shirt, people were literally running over to me to express their support and ask if they could sign my petition. I heard the phrase 'We love Planned Parenthood!' repeated at least a dozen times."

Ari and Melissa asking parade-goers to sign petitions

Planned Parenthood believes that comprehensive sex education is the key to lowering teen pregnancy and STI rates and promoting healthy sexual decision making. We support comprehensive sex education that requires educators to teach medically accurate, developmentally and age appropriate, and complete information, providing young people with the tools necessary to make responsible and intelligent choices.

Our interns and volunteers were excited to spread this message to the Pride attendees, and found support and reassurance in many of the people they conversed with. "Many of the participants in the parade agree with the types of reform that Planned Parenthood seek to pass," said our intern Sara, pictured above. "I remember specifically talking to one man about the sex education we received in school. We both went to very different high schools and were of very different times, but yet had the same abstinence-only sex education.... Contraceptives were never discussed as a means of reducing STI's and pregnancy." Sara, Noel, and the other volunteers and interns also had a chance to enjoy the parade and all of the festivities it had to offer. We'd like to thank our volunteers and interns for their amazing work!

If you'd like to learn more about comprehensive sex education in Illinois, visit our website and check out our podcast series here!


Technorati tags: Planned Parenthood, Pride Parade, Comprehensive Sex Education