Pride, Equality, & Healthcare for All

Every year, people from all across the world celebrate the LGBTQ community during the month of June. Through equality parades, community festivals, educational workshops, pride marches, concerts, and more, people in support of equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and non-binary communities show support. In the year 2000, President Bill Clinton was the first U.S. President to declare June “Pride Month”, commemorating the Stonewall Riots in 1969 (if you’re not familiar with the Riots, we highly recommend reading up on the history here) and marking a historic acknowledgement of the long fight for equality and acceptance.

One of the often underrepresented and less discussed struggles in the LGBTQ community has been the endemic lack of access to quality healthcare and social services. At Flowers for Dreams, we strongly believe every human being deserves the right to live a happy & healthy life no matter who they are. That’s why we’ve teamed up with Howard Brown Health locally, donating a quarter of our profits to help them fund, promote, and improve healthcare access for LGBTQ individuals in Chicago.

Howard Brown Health was founded in 1974 and is now one of the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender organizations. They serve more than 27,000 adults and youth each year through their extensive social service and medical resource delivery system focused around seven divisions: primary care, behavioral health, research, HIV/STI prevention, youth services, elder services, and community initiatives. Howard Brown doesn’t discriminate. They serve men, women, transgender, and non-binary individuals of all ages and backgrounds. Over the past 30 years, they’ve improved health outcomes for LGBTQ individuals through their multi-site health clinics, strategic partnerships with University of Chicago, the Mayor’s Office, Children’s Memorial Hospital, and more.

Their Broadway Youth Center and Brown Elephant Resale Shops have proven innovative ways to address the LGBTQ homeless population and provide alternative sources of funding for medical services. To read more about the amazing work Howard Brown Health does in Chicago, or to find a clinic near you, please check out www.howardbrown.org.