Taking Pride in Inclusivity
Charlee is a Brownie Girl Scout from Berwick. She loves to laugh, perform impromptu dances, spend time with her troop, and she’s no stranger to being in front of the camera. When it comes to colors, Charlee loves them all, and when it comes to Pride Month and supporting the LGBTQ+ community, she embraces the rainbow!
This summer, Charlee had the amazing opportunity to attend Portland Pride, Maine’s most populous city parade celebrating the LGBTQ+ community. The idea to attend the June event came about after Charlee’s mother, a social worker at SunLife who sponsors the parade, encouraged her to learn more.
“As a social worker, working to support those who are oppressed and being an ally is important to me […] After noticing that Girl Scouts offered a badge specific to pride, we reviewed the content and asked Charlee if it was something she was interested in,” says Charlee’s mom, Rebecca.
Once she did some digging, Charlee was all in on Portland Pride and got right to work making themed decorations.
“I made mini flags that you can hook to yourself, and I gave them out to people who work with my mom and other people at the parade,” says Charlee.
“Her flags were a big hit and people pinned them onto strollers, backpacks, shirts, and shorts. Charlee received lots of positive greetings from the parade crowd,” says Rebecca.
At the event, Charlee says there was no shortage of activities to keep you busy. Face painting, vendors, crafts, a nail station, and art projects were just a few of the endless maker sections. Although she loved everything, Charlee’s favorite part of Portland Pride was probably the on-stage entertainment where performers sang and danced to her favorite Taylor Swift tunes.
“I learned about being nice to others. Pride is about love who you love, be who you wanna be, and be kind to everyone, because there is no place in the world for bullies,” says Charlee.
And we couldn’t have said it better ourselves.
Girl Scouts of Maine is committed to providing members with an expansive and welcoming space to belong, be themselves, and grow their understanding of inclusivity. That’s why we offer the LGBTQ+ Pride Month patch to inspire Girl Scouts to spread kindness, gain knowledge on the challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ community, and take action locally!
“It was a really joyous event, so much positivity, kindness, and acceptance being shown. Having our daughter experience this was an absolute highlight for us,” says Rebecca.
