Today marks the 10th annual International Family Equality Day, an event created to celebrate the diversity of families globally! Wishing a happy day to all the families celebrating around the world!
The day originated as an idea of Swiss LGBTQ advocate Maria von Känel in 2010. The first International Symposium of LGBTQ parenting organizations in 2011 established International Family Equality Day (IFED) as the first Sunday in May, and celebrated the first one in 2012. Additionally, in 2018, IFED became an NGO (non-governmental organization) recognized by the United Nations, as a way to sustain and grow its work.
This year’s theme is “Families—being our authentic best,” which “emphasizes how crucial it is for all rainbow families to be able to be themselves, to be proud of who they are and of the family they have built, irrespective of what may be considered conventional in their community,” the organization says on its website.
IFED also has a number of suggestions for ways families can celebrate the day, even during the COVID-19 pandemic.
And if you just can’t get enough of celebrating LGBTQ families: I also invite you to take part in the 16th annual #LGBTQFamiliesDay on June 1, 2021. This is a social media event that I created in 2006 (originally as Blogging for LGBTQ Families Day) not only to kick off Pride Month, but also because it is halfway between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, in recognition that not all families fit into the structure of one mother and one father. I encourage everyone (allies, too!) to take part by posting, tweeting, and sharing with the hashtag #LGBTQFamiliesDay on June 1! Learn more here.