Some people think Pride month is only for LGBTQ individuals, but Pride is for everyone. In fact, it wouldn’t be Pride without people from ALL walks of life (including millions of allies who come each year!) joining together to celebrate our individuality and protest for LGBTQ equality.

Here are five reasons we hope you’ll come to Pride this year:

1. Your LGBTQ child, sibling, parent, grandparent or friend might feel really good if you came. It’s all about individual pride, but LGBTQ people, especially your loved ones, still value knowing that you are proud of them, too. Seeing you there supporting and celebrating Pride can make this special event even more meaningful to someone you care about.
2. It could make you an even better ally. At Pride, you’ll find booths filled with resources and information about coming out, threats to LGBTQ equality and more. Part of being a good ally is proactively educating yourself and then sharing that information with others. Pride is the perfect place to soak in new information.
3. A successful Pride event is good for your community. Pride events build community spirit. So, get out and show what kind of loving and welcoming community you live in. Just remember that part of being an ally is giving up space and recognizing that some events are designed to give the most marginalized in the LGBTQ community a space of their own.
4. Pride shows our strength in numbers. When we organize successful Pride events we show anti-LGBTQ opponents how strong the equality movement is. When allies come to Pride, you demonstrate that millions of people believe LGBTQ people deserve full rights and lasting equality.
5. Pride is FUN!  More than anything else, Pride is a celebration — of individuals and of our movement. Allies have been crucial to every bit of progress we’ve made, so come celebrate and energize yourself to keep pushing equality forward!