Thrive with Pride.

Thrive with Pride is an LGBTQ+ initiative that supports youth globally through education, support and advocacy. The campaign focus on uplifting other socially impactful projects, spreading accurate & insightful information and increasing their reach through curated content and stunning visuals.

Through research and life experience, key findings were made to try and tackle some of the most pressing issues that us, as a society, have to be aware of and fight not only on Pride Month, but during the whole year.

It is notable that the characterization of LGBTQ+ identity as negative or harmful, and therefore necessary to keep out of the public sphere, has a long history, part of several misinformation campaigns documented hundreds of years ago, throughout the world.

In today's society, it is crucial to realize that a significant percentage of individuals lack accurate information regarding LGBTQ+ issues. This lack of awareness can have detrimental effects on the community and hinder progress towards equality and understanding.

Increased access to information and wider availability of support services for LGBT youth, particularly in urban areas have provided greater opportunities for self-affirmation and socialization. These positive trends allow LGBT youth the opportunity to live more fully integrated lives.

According to the LGBT Giving Report, “messaging matters—but many messages can work. [...] Storytelling is crucial to eliciting empathy, a precursor to altruism, and to communicating both need and efficacy, but is often absent.” That’s where Thrive with Pride’s progressive disclosure at increasingly effective resources and the focus on “understanding our past to better the future” comes in.

A study on Challenges and Opportunities within LGBTQ+ Inclusion and Support at 4-H found out that the top opportunities for training, education and community engagement were inclusive language, safe spaces, allying with LGBTQ+ organizations, pride events and advocacy clubs, as to face the challenges of a lack of guidance and resources. Thrive with Pride targets and implements these suggestions through its website.

Thrive with Pride treasures highly the visual appeal of the presented information. The initiative uses a lot of soft rainbow colors in relation to the famous flag, serif typefaces to reinforce its straight to the point, serious and educational contents, and a handwritten script typeface, demonstrating a human touch, alongside some doodles.

As my parting thoughts, I very well plan on expanding this case study when the time is right. I really challenged myself and (finally!) applied some concepts I've only seen in theory. This deep dive on LGBTQ+ studies, history and advocacy was such a joy to work with!

If you want to learn more about the topics discussed on this project and access my sources, check out these links:

• Pride v. Prejudice: The Threat of Misinformation to the LGBTQ+ Community
• Disinformation campaigns about LGBTI+ people in the EU and foreign influence
• How Do Social Media Algorithms Impact LGBTQ People? 
• The LGBT Giving Report
• LGBT Youth Facts & Statistics
• LGBTQ+ Inclusion and Support: An Analysis of Challenges and Opportunities Within 4-H
• Pride month: Tackling misinformation affecting the LGBTI+ Community
• 2023 Year in Review: Anti-LGBTQ Online Hate and Disinformation
• Using Misinformation to Harm LGBTQ People Is Not New