Pride Month is recognized in the United States annually in June.  Pride Month was established to honor the Stonewall Riots that took place in June, 1969 in New York City. The Stonewall Riots were a catalyst for people to organize, for the first time in 1970 on the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, to protect and honor the rights of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer plus (LGBTQ+) community in the USA and globally.

One of the three key pillars of Lamaze International is respectful care.  

“Everyone’s journey to parenthood is unique. We welcome and respect all individuals and families from every corner of the world. Regardless of expectations or values, we firmly believe that everyone benefits from an informed pregnancy and birth.”

“Lamaze Welcomes All Parents - The journey through pregnancy and parenthood is unique for everyone. Birth is at the core of our practice. Lamaze welcomes and respects all individuals and families on this journey from every corner of the world. Regardless of who you are, where you live, who you love or what language you speak, we want to be with you on your path from pregnancy to parenthood. We believe that birth is transformative for every family, and that everyone deserves a safe and healthy birth experience. Our goal is simple; we want all parents to feel confident, supported and powerful as they ask questions, make decisions and navigate their individual path through birth and parenthood.”

Making your childbirth classes and perinatal services welcoming to LGBTQ+ families is important and simple to do.  Here are five things that you can do now during Pride Month that demonstrate your commitment to LGBTQ+ families.

Language

Not all expectant families identify as a husband and wife, or even as male and a female, and may not be partnered together.  In some families, there may be two women, two men, or another family structure that is not cisgendered, heterosexual and/or paired.  Families in your classes can identify differently and with many variations.  Double check that the language on your marketing materials, websites, registration and intake forms welcomes all families and provides an opportunity for people to self-identify using their designations, pronouns and family structure. 

During class, consider using terms like partner, non-gestational parent, pregnant person, birthing person, support person and more so that all families are welcome and included.  Use the appropriate pronouns that are provided by your class participants during class when referring to individuals.

Images

When selecting images to use on your websites, in slide decks, and on posters, handouts and other printed material, offer a mix of family structures that represent all the different people attending childbirth classes.  Seek out commercial products and videos that use diverse representation in their presentations and content as well.

Guest speakers

Invite guest speakers into your classes to diversify the subject matter experts that your families learn from. Identify and maintain a varied list of professionals who are willing to share their knowledge.

Resources

Confirm that your class resource list also includes information that LGBTQ+ families will find useful.  Consider including parent groups for queer families, information on inducing lactation, LGBTQ providers (lactation consultants, doulas, clinicians, mental health professionals) in the community, websites, reading materials and more.

Educate yourself

Seek out continuing education on topics related to supporting LGBTQ+ families as they grow their families.  Select activities created and presented by members of the LGBTQ+ community, who are the true experts on perinatal topics related to LGBTQ+ families.

Connecting the Dots has many blog posts on this topic, written by the LGBTQ+ community, as part of our Welcoming All Families series.

• The Need for LGBTQ+ Specific Childbirth Classes
• Perinatal Resources for the LGBTQIA Families You Serve
• Meet the Recipient of the ACNM Excellence in Leadership and Innovation Award - Simon Adriane Ellis
• Working with Gender Variant (Transgender) Families
• ​​How Welcoming Is Your Childbirth Class To All Families? A Lesbian Couple Share Their Experience
• An LCCE Shares Tips & Resources for Your Childbirth Practice
• "Mommy" & "Daddy" Is Not the Preferred Term for Some Parents

Families come in all shapes and sizes and Lamaze International joins many other organizations world-wide in celebrating the diversity of the families in our communities.  Educators can recognize this month as an opportunity to tune up their perinatal class offerings and services to ensure that LGBTQ+ families are welcomed and respected.  Happy Pride Month!

Published: June 01, 2022

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