This Pride Month, we are pleased to spotlight Melissa Messina, a principal in our Baltimore office. Melissa shares why Pride Month is important to her and ways that she tries to support the community in her daily life.

“As I was growing up, I watched people close to me struggle with coming out and others’ opinions about who they loved. And, these days, the aging LGBTQIA+ community has come into focus for me through my work with senior living providers. Some community members are afraid of how they might be treated and are still afraid to come out, like an 85-year-old man who recently did in his obituary, which quickly went viral. That breaks my heart. 

“For me, this emphasizes some of the challenges the aging LGBTQIA+ population has faced and still faces and highlights just one way in which the increased visibility provided by Pride Month is important.

“I can’t speak as a mouthpiece for the LGBTQIA+ community, but here’s what I try to do:

• Listen, empathize, speak up and challenge implicit and systemic bias, not just overt hate.
• Advocate for policy changes that eradicate implicit and systemic bias. 
• Learn different ways allies can be of assistance (and recognize that may vary from community member to community member).
• Celebrate successes.”