24 Fun Pride Month Ideas for the Office in 2023
Pride Month ideas are activities you can use to celebrate and recognize the LGBTQ+ community at work. Celebrants in the US, Canada, Brazil, Hungary, Australia, and Greenland observe Pride month in June. Examples of Pride Month ideas for the office include LGBTQ+ historic sites and landmark visits, charity donations, and office decorations. These activities aim to help teams reflect on sexual orientation inequities. Pride Month office activities will also help your workforce make meaningful actions in eliminating workplace discrimination.
These celebrations are examples of diversity and inclusion activities and office parties and are in-person versions of virtual Pride Month ideas. You can also honor the occasion by sharing Pride Month quotes.
This list includes:
- Pride Month spirit week ideas
- corporate Pride Month events
- Pride month activities for work
- Pride Month office games
Let’s get started!
List of Pride Month ideas
You can take meaningful action to create change in sexual orientation inequalities at work. From Pride Month trivia to diversity training and pride swag contests, here is a list of our best pride month ideas.
1. Pride Month trivia
A Pride Month trivia is among the best Pride Month office games you can engage your team in. For the Pride Month trivia, you can start by researching interesting facts about the Pride movement.
Examples:
- Which year did the Stonewall riots take place? – 1969
- When was the first Pride parade held in the United States? – 1970
- When was the first protest for lesbian and gay rights in Washington D.C? – June 4, 1965
- Which was the first European country to legalize same-sex marriages? – The Netherlands
- Which two colors did Philadelphia add to their Pride flag, and when? Blank and brown, 2017
- Which country holds the record for the longest Pride parade? Brazil
- Why does the U.S observe Pride Month in June? – In memory of the June Stonewall riots
You can have the trivia every week of Pride Month. To make the activity more interesting, have small but significant gifts to give workers who get the most points.
Or, you can book a fully-hosted virtual Pride Team Trivia.
2. Charity donation
You can support the LGBTQ+ community by donating to a worthy cause. You can start by looking for global or local non-profit organizations that support the LGBTQ+ community for the charity donation activity. For instance, you can donate to charities that address mental health and homelessness in the LGBTQ+ population.
A charity donation that will help raise awareness against sexual orientation discrimination will help your company fulfill inclusion and diversity objectives. Supporting a worthy cause will also be pivotal in reminding your workforce the corporate values. You can also run a company-wide fundraiser and split the proceeds among several charities.
Examples of charity organizations that support the LGBTQ community:
Charity donations to organizations that address issues faced by the trans and queer communities can make a difference in addressing inequalities and building a more accepting world. Be sure to get all workers involved in the contribution. You can also offer an employer contribution or match employee donations.
Here are more charity team building ideas.
3. Pride playlist
A pride playlist is one of the simplest yet effective Pride Month spirit week ideas for work. You can get every employee in your workforce to participate by letting teams share a favorite song by an LGBTQ+ artist or a song that embodies the idea of Pride. Then, you can compile a playlist and play it at lunch hour or when teams are about to head out.
Pride songs ideas:
- “True Colors” by Cyndi Lauper
- “Vogue” by Madonna
- “I’m Coming Out” by Diana Ross
- “Girls Like Girls” by Hayley Kiyoko
- “Make Me Feel” by Janelle Monae
- “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)’’ by Lil Nas X
- “Honey” by Kehlani
- “Nothing But the Love” by Wrabel
You can also provide teams with drinks and snacks and let all participants dance to the playlist.
4. Book club
Hosting a Pride Month book club is a good and fun way to teach your team about the LGBTQ+ community. You can start by selecting the book of the month. Be sure to choose a work that teaches your team about issues the community faces or one where the author is non-heterosexual.
Examples:
- The Prophets by Robert Jones Jr.
- Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters
- Broken Horses by Brandi Carlisle
- Last Call by Elon Green
- I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver:
- The Art of Showing Up: How to Be there for Yourself and Your People by Rachel Miller
You can lead the team into discussing what they have learned from the book, questions participants want to ask the author, and how teams will support the LGBTQ+ community henceforth.
Check out this list of books about diversity and inclusion.
5. Volunteer
If you do not have a budget to support an organization that addresses issues faced by the LGBTQ+ community, then you can plan a corporate volunteer day. In addition, you can look for activities that your workers can participate in based on their skills and expertise.
Examples:
- Graphics design
- Financial services
- Translation
- Blog writing
- Event marketing
You can let workers choose the desired skills that they want to volunteer, then partner with an organization that supports the LGBTQ+ community and offer your employees’ time and abilities. Skill-based volunteer activities will give workers a chance to grow their capabilities and support a good cause.
Check out this list of group volunteering ideas.
6. Pride Month dress code
A Pride Month dress code is an all-inclusive work activity that encourages all workers to wear Pride colors in solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community. For instance, light blue, pink, and white are the colors of the Trans Pride Flag, while pink, yellow, and blue represent the pansexual flag. Let teams dress in other Pride flag colors such as the progress, bisexual, asexual, and genderfluid pride flags.
You can even have a day where you have a contest for the best dressed or most fashionable workers. The Pride Month dressing code activity is among the best corporate Pride Month events to help companies re-evaluate work dress codes and accommodate gender stereotypes.
7. Diversity training
Diversity training is a sure way to fill workers with knowledge about gender stereotypes. This activity starts by scheduling a workday and time when all workers are available. Next, hire an expert who will educate the team on the importance of workplace inclusion for all workers.
Educational trans-gender training will also help workers learn when to use the correct pronouns and terms. In addition, teams can have an interactive session with the host after the event.
Check out more professional development ideas.
8. LGBTQ historic sites and landmarks
Exploring LGBTQ+ historic sites and landmarks is among the best Pride month activities for work. Teams will get an out-of-office experience with their colleagues as they learn more about the history of Pride. To ensure every worker attends, plan for the historical site visit on a workday.
Examples:
- Stonewall National Monument
- Governors Island National Monument, NY
- National AIDS Memorial Grove, CA
- Earl Hall, NY
- Women’s Liberation Center, NY
Employees will learn about the significance of the landmarks in commemorating Pride. You can encourage workers to take pictures and have an interactive session with the historic site guides.
If you are not near one of these national monuments, you can research significant LGBTQ+ landmarks in your area.
9. LGBTQ+ lunch and learn
If you want to foster team bonding, then an LGBTQ+ lunch and learn is one of the best Pride month activities for work. For this activity, plan a day where all workers can attend the lunch and learn activity during Pride Month. If you have an outdoor office space, you can have a BBQ where teams participate in making different meals. As teams share the meal, have a learning session led by a dedicated speaker.
Your workforce can learn:
- The correct use of pronouns
- The importance of gender-neutral language at work
- Unconscious biases to avoid
- Inappropriate questions to the LGBTQ+ community
You can let LGBTQ+ workers share their experiences and talk about gay rights worldwide.
Here is a guide to virtual lunch and learns.
10. Pride Month office decoration
Decorating the office with the Pride Flag colors may seem like a simple act. However, the rainbow flag office decorations are an impactful way to remind workers of the company’s support for the LGBTQ+ community. Pride Month office decorations are also the easiest ways to demonstrate that the office is a safe and inclusive space for all workers, regardless of their identity.
For this activity, let all workers participate in decorating the office. For example, you can have each department make and hang rainbow flags in their offices while team leaders decorate the common areas in the company.
11. LGBTQ+-owned business visits
Supporting an LGBTQ+-owned business is a clever way to celebrate Pride Month. The acts may be small gestures, but the support goes a long way in uplifting LGBTQ+ confidence.
Examples:
- Offer workers coupons to redeem at an LGBTQ+ business
- Order meals, drinks, or desserts from LGBTQ+ eateries
- Invite a famous LGBTQ+ chef to whip a meal for workers
- Invite an LGBTQ+ artist to perform
- Buy art
Supporting LGBTQ+ ran businesses also motivates and develops a community spirit in your workforce.
12. Pride swag contest
If you are looking for corporate Pride Month events where teams use art to express their support for the LGBTQ+ community, then you cannot go wrong with a Pride swag contest. For this activity, encourage teams to make gifts with an artistic expression of Pride and gift the creations to team members.
Examples:
- Rainbow bracelets
- Creative paintings
- Pride t-shirts
- Bowl decoration
- Cookies and cakes
- Wall hangings
While teams can use rainbow colors to make swag, encourage participants to go beyond, and use different pride themes and symbols. A Pride swag contest will promote diversity in your workforce and create awareness of the LGBTQ+ community while also encouraging creativity in teams.
You can also offer special Pride Month company swag from your branded promo store.
Here is a list of swag ideas for employees.
13. Pride parade
Attending a Pride parade is a clever way to let your team take a break from the office and show solidarity for the LGBTQ+ community. You can start by looking for a Pride parade nearby. Utilize word of mouth, social media, equality campaign websites, and local news to find a Pride parade near you. The company can sponsor a float or a booth at the event or the group can simply attend and enjoy the show and appreciate the sense of community.
14. Office Pride party
A Pride party is a great way to celebrate Pride Month with the entire company and foster team bonding. For this activity, give teams respective duties to facilitate the party. Some teams can attend to food, snacks, decoration, or drinks preparation duties as others bake a rainbow-colored cake. You can go a notch higher and invite an LGBTQ+ speaker.
You can make the office Pride party more interesting by having a photo booth in an open area. Let workers bond as they take pictures in pride clothing and face painting. Also, be sure to create educational signage that will provide relevant info about Pride.
15. Company-based Pride Employee Network
A Pride Employee Network is a workplace chapter that creates an inclusive and safe workplace. If your company does not have a company-based Pride Employee Network, take the Pride Month opportunity and lead your team to create one.
Ensure that the network created aligns with the company’s values and policies and the broader LGBTQ+ community. Be sure to select LGBTQ+ team players to represent the company’s interests.
For similar ideas, check out employee resource groups.
16. Postcards and homemade greetings to LGBTQ+ friends
Sending postcards and homemade greetings to the queer community is a heartful way to celebrate Pride Month. For this activity, let workers identify a member of the LGBTQ+ community who is impactful in their lives. Next, let workers create a postcard as creatively as they wish.
Workers can send postcards to colleagues, friends outside the company, a celebrity, or an activist. A heartfelt letter will make members of the LGBTQ+ community feel appreciated. The activity will also promote team bonding.
17. Pride movie
Watching a Pride movie, coming out drama, or documentary is one of the simplest ways that you can celebrate the LGBTQ community. For this activity, look for a Pride classic that participants will enjoy.
Examples:
- ‘Angels in America’ (2003)
- ‘Boys Don’t Cry’ (1999)
- ‘Brokeback Mountain’ (2005)
- ‘Carol’ (2015)
- ‘A Fantastic Woman’ (2017)
- ‘Pain and Glory’ (2019)
- ‘Welcome to Chechnya’ (2020)
- State of Pride (2019)
- Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen (2020)
Let participants discuss what they have learned from the movie. For instance, you can ask teams to discuss changes in LGBTQ+ rights years after the film or what resonated with them most. If you are unsure of the movie of choice, let participants vote and watch the classic with the most votes.
18. Pride happy hour
You can make Pride Month memorable in your company by planning an out-of-the-box happy hour session. Rather than your usual happy hour office events, have a twist where you hold a rainbow cocktail and mocktail contest.
For this activity, you will provide workers with all the ingredients needed to make cocktails. If you have a large number of workers, then you will group participants into smaller teams. Then, let workers interact amid drinks and snacks. Be sure to offer incentives for teams that make the most creative rainbow cocktails or mocktails.
Check out these lists of virtual happy hour cocktail kits and virtual mixology classes.
19. Rainbow salad
The rainbow salad Pride Month work idea is an activity that you can use to teach healthy competition in your workforce while celebrating Pride. For this activity, you will divide your team into smaller groups. Next, let teams select ten colorful ingredients that they will use to make a rainbow salad.
Teams will hold a contest where groups compete to make a salad that ensembles the Pride flag and other symbols. Some ingredients that teams can get include blueberries, beets, bell peppers, carrots, eggplants and avocados. Let teams devour the salads after the contest.
20. Pronouns sharing
Sharing pronouns is among the best Pride Month activities for work that can help make communication easier for teams. For this Pride Month activity, encourage workers to share their pronouns with other teams. You can start by letting teams introduce themselves using their pronouns on the first day of Pride Month.
Workers can also update their pronouns on:
- Email signature
- Business card
- Email signature
- Social media profiles
- Messaging apps such as Slack
- LinkedIn profile
Including pronouns in team communications is a sure way to prevent confusion for people who have gender-ambiguous names. You can also encourage your workforce to adopt the pronouns henceforth.
21. Discrimination and diversity policy evaluation
Diversity and inclusion policies can develop a work culture where every team player feels appreciated regardless of gender orientation. For this activity, you can let willing workers participate in crafting or updating the diversity and discrimination company policy.
If your company does not have a discrimination and diversity policy, you can let employees chip in and contribute to the policy. And if you already have a discrimination and inclusion policy in place, then let workers give ideas on how to improve the policy. A sound discrimination and diversity policy will reduce bias during the hiring process and outline company values.
22. Social media recognition
Social media is a tool that you can use to show support for the LGBTQ+ community. For this activity, let teams update the company’s social media platforms to commemorate Pride Month. You can use simple ways such as relevant hashtags and same-sex love and equality quotes to show solidarity for the LGBTQ+ movement. Be sure to post your team participating in activities that support the LGBTQ+ movement, such as office decorations, attending a parade, or charity activities.
23. Drag show
Drag shows are a form of entertainment where a drag artist puts on clothes and makeup that amplify the appearance of a particular gender. Drag shows are one of the best Pride Month spirit week ideas. For this activity, you will look for a drag show nearby that willing participants can attend.
Drag show ideas:
- Comedy acts
- Lip syncing songs
- Dance routines
- Live cabaret
- Cooking class with drag queen
- Drag brunch
- Drag Bingo or trivia
Be sure to make your booking early since drag shows can be on-demand during Pride Month.
24. Blog articles
Publishing Pride articles on the company’s website is a great way to show support for the LGBTQ+ community. For this activity, let each department brainstorm, write, and publish one Pride article. Encourage creativity by letting teams decide on the blog topic.
Examples:
- How to promote Pride Month at work
- How your company has promoted gender inclusivity at work
- Worst Pride Month practices
- A day with a successful LGBTQ+ figure
Blog posts are an excellent way to teach the masses more about Pride and give your company more visibility.
Conclusion
Celebrating Pride Month at work shows inclusivity and support for the LGBTQ+ community. However, you need to ensure that every team player has a comfortable and safe experience. As such, do not force any employee to participate. Also, partake in activities that focus more on the diversity of the LGBTQ+ community rather than stereotypes. Finally, make the Pride Month office activities enjoyable to all participants by emphasizing inclusivity and allyship.
For more things to celebrate in June, check out Juneteenth celebration ideas and summer team building activities.
How do you celebrate Pride Month in the office?
To effectively celebrate Pride Month in the office, host activities that all willing participants can enjoy. If you want your workforce to participate in outdoor Pride Month celebrations, then be sure to make your reservation early.
What are some good Pride Month ideas for work?
Some good Pride Month ideas for work include drag performances, happy hour, and office Pride parties.
Why is it important to celebrate Pride in the workplace?
Celebrating Pride in the workplace is a gesture toward recognition and equal opportunity for all workers regardless of sexual orientation.
Here are other benefits of celebrating Pride Month at work:
- Increased sense of inclusion among all workers
- Eliminate bias against the LGBTQ+ community
- Better connected and engaged workers
- Create a safe space for all workers
Workplaces should be inclusive such that every worker brings their authentic self to work, regardless of their sexual orientation.
Author: Grace He