At Realized Worth, we seek to fully accept the invitation of cultural awareness months to understand wisdom from marginalized communities. We focus not only on celebration and awareness, but on the ways this wisdom can transform how we approach our work in social impact and, ultimately, how we show up as human beings.
Note: Queer communities in North America use expanding and evolving terminology and acronyms. In this piece, we use LGBTQ+ and intend to be inclusive of Two-Spirit, Intersex, and Asexual people.
PRIDE MONTH 2025: THE YEAR OF STRUCTURAL TRANSFORMATION
Pride Month 2025 arrives at an inflection point. While anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and violence surge nationwide, corporate commitment is simultaneously reaching record highs—with 765 companies earning perfect scores on the Human Rights Campaign’s 2025 Corporate Equality Index, a 28% increase from last year.
This contradiction is familiar.
- While companies advance internal policies supportive of queer people, some simultaneously donate to anti-LGBTQ+ politicians and organizations.
- Pride campaigns often remain regional, with visible support disappearing where it carries real risk.
- Many Pride Month activities still focus on awareness and celebration rather than examining underlying program structures.
This Pride Month, Social Impact professionals, who work daily to create authentic inclusion within imperfect systems, can move companies from surface-level support toward genuine transformation.
Here’s where we focus our energy: This is where the concept of “queering”—drawn from queer theory—offers practitioners a powerful framework for moving beyond surface-level inclusion to structural transformation. To “queer” something means to examine and challenge the assumptions that seem “normal” or “default” and redesign for all identities and experiences to thrive. Rather than simply adding LGBTQ+ people to existing programs, queering asks: What assumptions are built into our program design that might exclude or harm people?
This approach benefits everyone. When we design for the full spectrum of human experience—chosen families alongside biological ones, non-binary gender expressions alongside traditional roles, diverse relationship structures alongside marriage — we create programs that serve our increasingly diverse workforce more effectively.
The wisdom of queer communities teaches us that liberation requires transforming systems, not just accessing them. Social Impact practitioners have a unique opportunity to apply this wisdom to program design — creating initiatives that challenge restrictive norms while building more inclusive, effective programs for everyone.
READY TO GET STARTED? Here are two practical approaches to apply queer theory to your social impact programs:
STRATEGY ONE: Audit Policies Through a Queer Lens
Start with your Volunteer Time Off (VTO) policies and employee giving programs, and where possible, work with Human Resources to expand your audit. Many policies inadvertently center heterosexual, cisgender experiences.
Volunteer Time & Leave:
- Can employees use paid volunteer hours and leave to support Pride events and care for partners and chosen family during health crises or life transitions?
- Are your leave policies inclusive of transgender employees who may need time for gender-affirming care or legal name changes?
- Do your bereavement policies recognize the loss of partners and chosen family members, not just legal relatives
Nonprofit Partnerships:
- Do your giving campaigns recommend LGBTQ+-led organizations?
- Do your nonprofit partnerships include organizations with LGBTQ+-inclusive policies?
Pro Tip: Create a simple audit checklist by reviewing your policies with these questions: Who is this policy designed for? What assumptions does it make about family, relationships, and identity? How might someone with a different experience navigate this policy?
STRATEGY TWO: Transform Your Recognition and Leadership Development
Traditional corporate recognition often values traits associated with masculinity and heteronormativity—individual achievement, competitive success, traditional leadership styles. Queering your approach means:
- Recognize care work and community building as leadership skills – on teams, in your volunteer leaders, and in all employee volunteers.
- Value vulnerability and authenticity in leadership development efforts, creating psychological safety across teams.
- Create advancement pathways within the volunteer leadership network that don’t require conforming to narrow definitions of “professionalism.”
Use your existing volunteer leader network as a starting point—many volunteer leaders already demonstrate these inclusive leadership qualities.
PRACTICAL QUICK WINS FOR JUNE
This Week:
- Review your communications for traditional or heteronormative family assumptions such as “spouse.”
- Audit one policy (VTO, benefits) using the questions above.
- Identify 2-3 LGBTQ+-inclusive organizations in your community for potential partnership
This Month:
- Host a listening session with LGBTQ+ employees about their experiences with your current programs.
- Partner with ERGs to identify existing nonprofit partners who might be interested in inclusive capacity building.
Beyond June:
- Integrate queer lens questions into your annual program planning process.
- Build relationships with LGBTQ+ community leaders and organizations before you need to activate partnerships.
- Continue to train your volunteer leaders on creating inclusive spaces that welcome all identities and relationship structures. Social REV member resource: use the Equity in Community Engagement guide to develop or audit volunteer program materials.
THE LIBERATION LENS for programs worthy of the full spectrum of human experience
When we design for chosen families, we also serve single parents, immigrants, and all who rely on non-traditional support networks. When we recognize diverse relationship structures, we create space for caregivers, community builders, and those who express love and commitment in varied ways. When we challenge binary thinking, we create room for innovation and creativity that benefits everyone.
Want to continue these conversations with Realized Worth? Join us at quarterly RealTalk sessions, at our in-person immersive learning event, Social REV LIVE, and join Social REV as a member for year-round access to tools, resources, and more content like this blog.
