Student Blog: Lucinda on Pride Month

Thursday June 20^th 2024

Pride Month

June marks Pride Month in the UK – a celebration of all the work and achievements of the LGBTQ+ community over the years. It is about promoting acceptance and equality, as well as showing our support and embracing people for who they are.

So why is it so important that we continue to celebrate Pride Month? We have to acknowledge the history and the struggles of the LGBTQ+ community, and honour the complex and difficult journey it took to get to where we are today. That being said, we also have to be aware that there are still things we can do to make sure we are being supportive, such as speaking up against derogatory comments and educating ourselves on current LGBTQ+ issues.

At Elmhurst we strive to have an inclusive and supportive environment, one where every individual feels they can be themselves and supported as they are. Our school is continuing to change and adapt in order to better support the Elmhurst community, and I wanted to share some examples that are in line with the Elmhurst way – Live, Dance, Learn.

Live – Elmhurst are currently in the process of introducing a new boarding system in lower school for the next academic year. This means there will be a boarding house with integrated genders as a way to foster inclusivity.

Dance – In Dance, there has been a timetable change, with the gender not being specified for the class. This means the classes won’t be labelled as male and female, but will instead just be labelled by the year group.

Learn – For the start of the next academic year, Elmhurst will be introducing a gender neutral day wear uniform. This means all students will have the same uniform to wear, regardless of how they identify.

Each half term we have an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion school council for students to express their views and suggestions about how the School can improve.

Elmhurst is dedicated to keep moving forward, to create more meaningful changes that reflect our commitment to the LGBTQ+ community, building towards a more inclusive future.

Happy Pride Month!