Honoring Pride and the Legacy of Harvey Milk: A Therapist’s Reflection

June 11, 2025

June marks Pride Month, a time to celebrate the strength, resilience, and beauty of the LGBTQ+ community. It’s also a time to reflect on the struggles that brought us to this point—and to honor the voices that fought for equality long before it was safe or popular to do so. Among those voices was Harvey Milk, a trailblazer, a leader, and one of the first openly gay elected officials in the United States.

As a mental health therapist, I’ve had the privilege of walking with individuals as they explore identity, heal from trauma, and reclaim their voices. Pride Month is a powerful reminder that embracing who we are—and being seen and accepted for it—is deeply healing, not just personally, but collectively.

Who Was Harvey Milk?

Harvey Milk was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977, making history as one of the first openly gay men to hold public office in the U.S. His campaign focused on inclusion, equality, and the right to live authentically. Milk didn’t just advocate for LGBTQ+ rights—he advocated for hope. His famous words still resonate:

“Hope will never be silent.”

Harvey Milk was assassinated in 1978, but his legacy endures. He helped ignite a movement, and today, Pride Month continues that legacy of visibility, empowerment, and social justice.

Pride, Mental Health, and How We Can Honor Milk’s Legacy

While Pride is a celebration, it’s also a time to recognize the unique mental health challenges many LGBTQ+ individuals face:

• Higher rates of anxiety, depression, and PTSD, often rooted in discrimination, rejection, or lack of safety.
• Increased risk of suicide, particularly among LGBTQ+ youth and transgender individuals.
• Barriers to affirming care, including therapists or providers who may lack training in LGBTQ+ issues or create unwelcoming spaces.

That’s why inclusive, affirming mental health care matters. It’s about more than using correct pronouns or offering nonjudgmental support—it’s about recognizing the impact of systemic oppression and helping clients build lives rooted in authenticity and safety. Whether you’re a member of the LGBTQ+ community or an ally, Pride Month is an invitation to be intentional with our compassion, awareness, and advocacy. Here are a few ways to engage:

• Celebrate Identities. Attend Pride events, uplift queer voices, and honor the diversity within the LGBTQ+ community—including people of color, transgender individuals, and nonbinary folks whose stories are often overlooked.
• Educate Yourself and Others. Learn about LGBTQ+ history and the mental health impacts of discrimination. Share that knowledge in your circles.
• Support Inclusive Care. Seek out and recommend therapists who are trained in LGBTQ+ affirming practices. Advocate for representation in mental health spaces.
• Create Safe Spaces. Whether at work, at home, or in community, strive to create environments where people can show up fully and be celebrated for who they are.

Pride Month is about joy, resistance, and remembrance. It’s about honoring the courage of people like Harvey Milk, who helped pave the way for a more inclusive world, and standing alongside those still fighting for dignity and justice today.

In the therapy room, I see firsthand how powerful it is to be seen and affirmed. This Pride, let’s continue working toward a world where every person—regardless of identity—feels worthy of love, respect, and mental wellness. Because hope, as Harvey Milk said, should never be silent.