By KELLY DOLEJSI
Friends of Los Alamos Pride
Two successful Pride Weeks and one pandemic later, Pride Week returns to Los Alamos June 5-13. This year’s theme is “Coming Out After COVID”.
This series of mini-profiles aims to highlight as many LGBTQIA-friendly local businesses as possible. Email kdolejsi@gmail.com if you own a business or run an organization and want to extend your support to Los Alamos Pride Week. Regardless of whether you own a business, follow Los Alamos Pride on Facebook and Los Alamos Pride Week on Instagram to learn more about upcoming events.
As members of the Los Alamos and surrounding communities, staff at the Responsible Sex Education Institute (RSEI) know the importance of providing inclusive information and services for all. They also know the value of Pride Week.
“By holding a Pride Week, Los Alamos is demonstrating its commitment to and acceptance of all folks in its community and we are thrilled to be able to be a part of it,” said RSEI’s Caitlin Bain, a resident of Los Alamos. “The Los Alamos community deserves to celebrate its diversity and have the space to express who they are.”
RSEI, which is a program of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, offers lessons on LGBTQ+ topics and uses language and information that can be tailored to be accessible to various ages.
In 2019, the organization did outreach and tabling at the outdoor Los Alamos Pride Festival, providing resources on safer sex and the In Case You’re Curious (ICYC) sexual health textline.
“Sharing what we do at RSEI with the Los Alamos community was an amazing opportunity to let folks know that we are here to help them make the most informed decisions for themselves,” Bain said.
This year, she said, RSEI is planning to do further outreach and tabling to provide resources and information to folks in the Los Alamos community. The organization will be doing outreach at the Tuesday, June 8, outdoor concert at Ashley Pond. RSEI also intends to hold a virtual Youth Trivia Night, details to be announced soon.
“Youth need access to information to make informed decisions and we are here to provide that as a trusted resource,” Bain said.
RSEI strives to provide medically accurate and inclusive education so that all people regardless of gender identity and sexual orientation can access reliable sexual health education, Bain said, adding that the organization is “intentional in our approach to inclusion, and we look forward to continuing to work with the Los Alamos community.”