Fifty-one years after the Stonewall riots that became the original Pride movement, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled to protect gender and sexual identity under Title VII anti-discrimination laws. It’s a landmark victory for civil rights advocates and for the LGBTQ+ community, and a welcome cause for celebration in a year that has more often been marked by loss.
We’ve been looking forward to this June as a chance to celebrate Pride, to highlight the services Maven offers that directly support the LGBTQ+ community, and to partner with companies as they create more supportive and inclusive benefits and environments for all of their employees. But nothing exists in a vacuum, and this June has also shone a light on the continued injustice faced by our Black patients, providers, clients, and team members.
The waves of pain and protest that have swept the world in the wake of the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, Nina Pop, Riah Milton, Dominique “Rem’Mie” Fells, and so many more, have made it very clear that we have plenty of work ahead of us. Here at Maven, we’ve been thinking about the role we play in making this world better for everyone. Our mission has always been to create a better healthcare system for all women and families, and we’re committed to doing the work to drive long-term change and eliminate disparities in care.
Along with many of our members and the companies we partner with, we’ve also been thinking about what it means to celebrate Pride at this moment in America. The history of Pride is intrinsically tied to the civil rights movement of the 50s and 60s. Many of the key organizers and instigators of the Stonewall riots and the original Pride movement were black and brown folks like Marsha Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and Stormé DeLarverie. The impact of their work is still felt generations later, and this week’s Title VII victory wouldn’t be possible without them.