Upcoming Pride Month with LGBTQ+ Community

Hello everyone, I hope you are all doing well.

Pride month 🌈 is quickly approaching and is a time of celebration for everyone in the 7 Cups Community. Being a global platform, we have an amazing opportunity to embrace diversity and inclusivity. Members and Listeners all come from uniquely different backgrounds, experiences, and cultures: races, age groups, professions, orientations, educational backgrounds, language groups, etc.

The 7 Cups community is a beautiful place because, regardless of one’s own struggles and challenges, everyone is able to come together to give time, energy, and thoughts to support one another, and that spirit is truly heartwarming. We come to 7 Cups with a common goal of support for everyone. We, as a community, have a responsibility to maintain a supportive atmosphere. Let us all remember to be compassionate, inclusive, respectful, and supportive towards one another. We are all here to support one another on our journeys, regardless of what someone’s going through, what they’re feeling, or how they identify.

Group Support Chat Rooms are an inclusive, safe, and supportive space for everyone. Group Support Rooms allow us all the opportunity to give and receive support and provide support; a judgment-free space to share about our own unique journeys.

The 7 Cups community proudly honors and celebrates Pride Month as we stand together in supporting the LGBTQ+/MOGII community members, listeners, and allies. Here are a few things that all of us should keep in mind while interacting with each other in group chat rooms or anywhere else around the 7 Cups community:

• Be kind and non-judgmental towards everyone you interact with around the community. Everyone, regardless of who or how they are, is deserving of compassion and respect. Remember, if you can’t say something nice, it’s usually best not to say it at all.
• Avoid making assumptions about others’ backgrounds, feelings, experiences, or identities. If you are unsure of someone’s preferred pronouns or language, remember that it’s better to ask questions on how they want to be identified and how best you can support them.
• Avoid making generalizations or imposing stereotypes about labels or identities. Generalizations and stereotypes encourage narrow and false expectations of individuals and can be harmful and alienating. Everyone is unique, regardless of how similarly or differently they identify. Labels do not define individuals.
• Do not impose your religious, political, or discriminatory views on the LGBTQ+/MOGII community or to others. Everyone is entitled to their own personal beliefs and feelings. Whenever possible, it is best to accept people as they are, even when they are not the same as you.
• It’s important to remember that conflicts happen from time to time. Whenever possible, please reach out to a leader of the team if present or contact a community moderator. Engaging in conflict can be triggering to others in the room and make for an unpleasant and potentially unsafe atmosphere in a space where we expect community support the most.
• If a conflict occurs, you can help to de-escalate the situation, if you are comfortable. Some ways to de-escalate conflict may include the following:
  • Asking an icebreaker question that invites everyone to participate.
  • Changing the topic to something more positive and inclusive.
  • Using your personal mute button.
  • Requesting a moderator enter the room to de-escalate conflicts using THIS FORM

Please remember group support chat rooms are a shared space for everyone! Let’s work together to maintain a safe, inclusive, and supportive environment for everyone.

It’s okay to be unsure or unaware of certain topics that may come up in group rooms. No one expects you to know or understand everything. It’s okay to be honest and admit that you do not understand or may not be aware of the topic. Asking questions respectfully can provide an opportunity for the exchange of knowledge, awareness, and personal growth. Learning is key in allowing us the opportunity to grow.

And to quote Maya Angelou, “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

At the end of the day, it is up to us how we treat others and subsequently make them feel. Creating a supportive and compassionate culture allows everyone to experience kindness, respect, love, care, and trust for each other, which allows the cultivation of healthy connections and the development of a friendly and safe environment for all.

Credits & Special thanks: @LuluRings