More PRIDE

(https://www.peacebuttons.info/)

It’s been stormy/flooding/messy all day long, Ollie is not happy with the weather so I’ve been busy keeping him busy, we’ve still got about an hour to go with the weather, and now I can’t recall where, this morning over breakfast, I read this about Compass Group promoting PRIDE. But, the tab is still up there, so here it is at not quite suppertime!

https://www.compass-usa.com/happy-pride-month-2025

Happy Pride Month 2025!

June 02, 2025

2025 Happy Pride Month from Compass Group USA

June is here, and with it comes Pride Month – a powerful celebration of love and authenticity. It’s a time to recognize the rich history of the LGBTQ+ community while embracing the voices that make our workplace stronger, more inclusive, and deeply connected.

Meet three inspiring associates from across Compass Group’s family of businesses – Elise, Greg, and Chef Michelle – whose journeys of inclusion and belonging enrich our organization in meaningful ways. Through their work, passion, and personal experiences, they continue to cultivate spaces where everyone can thrive.

An Image of Elise Weiss, HR Business Partner from ESFM for Pride Month 2025

Elise Weiss has been with ESFM for seven years. The best part of her job as an HR business partner is building relationships, fostering strong team dynamics, and simplifying tough situations. Education and empowerment drive her. Leading ESFM’s Global University of Lifelong Learning (GULL) program as well as serving as co-chair of its Diversity & Inclusion Action Council (DIAC) make her work deeply fulfilling.

“Pride Month means LOVE is LOVE! Accepting everyone as they are so that no one fears loving who they truly love,” Elise says.

An Image of Greg Yeager, HR Business Partner from Unidine for Pride Month 2025
Greg Yeager has been with Unidine for eight years and currently serves in strategic dining services and national accounts as the HR business partner. Making a difference in people’s lives – with the support of his incredible team – is what he loves most about his position

“Pride is a reminder of both the progress made and the work still needed to ensure equal rights and respect for everyone,” Greg adds. “It’s also a deeply personal time when I acknowledge and celebrate my own growth, embracing who I am unapologetically.”

An Image of Chef Michelle Matlock, Executive Chef from Eurest for Pride Month 2025
Chef Michelle M. Matlock CEC has been with Compass for three years, and for the past year has been an Executive Chef in Atlanta with Eurest.

“What I love most about my job is spending my life’s energy within a group that supports diversity, equality and inclusion,” Chef Michelle declares. “I love being able to mentor our young chefs and leaders. I adore my leadership and believe in their life’s work so much, find our corporate goals so similar, it keeps me going.”

Greg, Chef Michelle, and Elise’s respective journeys have been shaped by many people, and their experiences within the LGBTQ+ community have influenced their careers.

“I often wonder if I’ve done enough, because just living openly doesn’t always feel like enough,” Greg notes. “Getting into HR grounded me, showing me that I could be the person I had always needed – a representative living openly.” Greg hopes to be that person for future generations entering the hospitality industry.

A pivotal figure in Chef Michelle’s life was Charlene Schneider, who opened the first LGBTQ+ tavern in New Orleans in the 1950s. She was a “Den Mother” to many LGBTQ+ youth, offering acceptance, guidance, and life skills. She once told Michelle, “People walk through this world every day, just hoping someone will smile their way. BE THAT PERSON.” She taught Michelle honor, ethics, never to hide, and to BE SEEN.

Elise’s path has also been influenced by people who embody authenticity, strength, acceptance, empathy and love – qualities she strives for. Her most life-changing discovery, however, is yoga. “The inward journey transformed me, replacing fear with acceptance and love,” she says.

Each has precious advice to share with colleagues striving to be more inclusive.

Chef Michelle considers herself an “Elder” in the LGBTQ+ community and shares this impassioned message: “TO OUR BEAUTIFUL LGBTQ+ YOUTH – TO ‘B’ – Sometimes the world swings ugly and sometimes it swings back to beauty. In all these times, you are loved, you are important, you are beautiful EXACTLY as you are, and you MATTER. Know your history, get involved, define our community for US so that others can’t define it for YOU.”

Elise advises her teams to lead with vulnerability and humility. “Show up, listen, and be present. People feel that, and it matters,” she says. “In the photo, my shirt says ‘HUMAN,’ because kindness is what matters, not labels. Live in the energy of love, and never forget our shared humanity – we are all equal.”

And Greg encourages open and honest conversations. “Understanding comes from curiosity and the willingness to learn; I always tell friends and family to ask me anything,” he adds. “If it helps bridge the gap in understanding that our lives aren’t so different, then that’s one more educated mind shaping a better future.”

As Pride Month unfolds, let’s celebrate the progress made while recommitting to the work still ahead. Elise, Greg, and Chef Michelle remind us that inclusion is about people, actions, and creating spaces where everyone feels seen, valued, and empowered to be their authentic selves. Their stories illuminate the power of representation, resilience, and genuine connection. As we honor Pride, let’s continue building a workplace – and a world – where acceptance isn’t just a celebration for one month, but a commitment we carry every day.

Happy Pride from your Compass colleagues!

Reblog of Janet’s Reblog-

don’t miss it, it’s multi-faceted!

Tilly Bridges Analyzes Ad Astra Per Aspera

Moving & Beautiful Art+Quotes For PRIDE Month

10 Inspiring Quotes To Help You Celebrate Pride Month David Hayward

“This is your month to celebrate the strength and courage it takes to be your authentic self. But this month is not just about celebrating, it’s also about commemorating and remembering AND creating safer spaces for people to feel Pride about being their authentic selves!

“These quotes from activists, artists, politicians, entertainers, and more emphasize what it means to be an LGBTQ+ person. I hope they inspire and encourage you along your journey of being LGBTQ+ or celebrating those who are.

1. “Love is too beautiful to be hidden in the closet.” – Anonymous

2. “It takes no compromise to give people their rights … it takes no money to respect the individual. It takes no political deal to give people freedom. It takes no survey to remove repression.” – Harvey Milk

3. “So let me be clear: I’m proud to be gay, and I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me.” – Tim Cook

(Snip: Do Go See It All-It’s So Good! -A.)

Dealing With Christians Using The Bible Against The LGTBQ+

At the end of the video the Reverend says our only job is to love god by loving others. The only question is … how much will you love. Good thoughts in this video. Had the church been like this when I was a teen, had the church been inclusive like this when I was a little boy being molested by the Pastor I would have stayed in the faith, in the church. I might not have believed in the magic parts of the bible and I might have quibbled over the facts, but I would have stayed for the community. The environment of people who enjoyed each other’s company and loved the comradery of fellowship. Sadly the churches I saw as a child, as a teen, and as an adult lost people because rather than love, they clung to hate. The joy of feeling better than some other group, of being able to look down on them, to revel in negative emotions meant more to them than hugging those different that maybe they did not understand. They set themselves up as god judging others. Not as a loving flock, but as deciders over who was worthy to be in the flock. They were not the sheep, they wanted to be the Sheppard. Hugs

It’s Not Only June, It’s Pride Month

Pride Power! by Adam Parkhomenko

A Pride Month declaration from the cussing newsletter guys Read on Substack

It’s a safe bet this White House won’t be flying the rainbow flag this June.

But you can bet your hot asses we will.

June is Pride Month, a celebration of our LGBTQIA+ friends and a good damn reminder that for a free country to truly be free, people must be allowed to be themselves. It’s also a helluva party.

But this year’s Pride comes as the federal government has declared war on trans folks, banned books dealing with LGBTQIA+ issues and authors and made bigotry great again. Like with all things Trump, there ain’t much to celebrate. And that’s why we’re gonna be louder and prouder than we’ve ever been before.

If the president of the United States won’t stand up for our gay, lesbian and trans friends, then we sure as shit will. We’re proud of you, we’re happy to stand next to you and we love you. And like a lot of people who want to be allies, we can be clumsy as hell about it, so please don’t hesitate to tell us how we can do better.

So many Americans have seen their rights and protections either diminished or destroyed under Trump. It’s why so many people in this country are so scared right now. And sad. And angry.

Trump and the GOP have made trans people their personal punching bags. This week, Trump even threatened California over a 16-year-old trans athlete. That’s the president of the United States bullying a child simply because they are different from other kids. If you want to debate trans folks in sports, fine, but surely we can agree that the president shouldn’t be attacking teenagers who are just trying to be teenagers.

Whether it’s erasing the trans heroes from the memorial plaque at Stonewall or denying them the chance to serve in the military, Trump has made clear he will use our government to bully, harass and demean trans people. It’s cruel. It’s wrong. It’s un-American.

And we know it won’t stop there. Because it never does.

We’re already seeing Trump administration efforts to eliminate suicide hotlines and other resources for LGBTQIA+ youth. They’re salivating at the idea of bringing back cruel conversion therapy. And we’ve all heard the rumblings from people like Clarence Thomas about going after gay marriage.

Even as we write this, a gay barber sits in an El Salvadoran prison, sent there by Trump and abandoned by a country that hypocritically proclaims to the world that all men are created equal.

We should be welcoming Andry Hernandez Romero to our country, a land of freedom and opportunity where he can be himself without threats of anti-gay violence. Alas, we are not that America right now. The truth is we rarely have been.

So this will be a different kind of Pride Month. We might party a little less and march a little more. We will spend this June being tragically reminded that the voices of hate and bigotry are still very much alive and they have a pretty big microphone these days.

And that’s why we will spend this month shouting how much we love and support the LGBTQIA+ community. Because fuck the haters, and fuck their hate.

Let’s show the world how we do Pride Month in this country. And let’s remind the bigots what real freedom looks like.

To our LGBTQIA+ friends, we love you, we’re proud of you and we promise you are not alone. Happy Pride, everybody!

The latest from Adam

(And if you click through to the Substack, you can see the new “apology” video from Sen. Ernst, just after Pete’s Heat. Alt Media is an extremely worthy click. Sen. Ernst’s apology is not. -A.)

No Notes

Happy Pride Month

It’s In London-

(sigh- I love Twelfth Night. -A)

Ian McKellen Will Open All-Trans Production of Twelfth Night, Shakespeare’s Most Trans Play

Shakespeare really did get T4T friend groups tbh.

By James Factora

A trans theater company is staging a production of one of Shakespeare’s most beloved comedies this summer in London, and the play will receive an introduction from none other than Sir Ian McKellen.

Trans What You Will, which is dedicated to staging Shakespeare plays with trans and nonbinary performers, will produce a staged reading of Twelfth Night at The Space in London on July 25. In a post to Instagram, the theater company wrote that the “inherent queerness” of the play is “glaringly apparent to so many.” Like many of the Bard’s plays, Twelfth Night absolutely smacks of gender.

As Trans What You Will describes it, “you’ve got a lady disguised as a man, seducing another lady on behalf of a lord, but nothing goes to plan when the lady falls for the disguised lady, and the disguised lady falls for the lord!” More specifically, the play follows two twins, Viola and Sebastian, who are separated from each other in a shipwreck. Viola disguises herself as a man, Cesario, and enters into the service of Duke Orsino, who rules over the area. As Cesario, she also serves as wingman to Orsino, who’s in love with the Countess Olivia. But Olivia falls in love with “Cesario,” Viola falls in love with Orsino, and chaos ensues. (I mean, sounds like your average T4T friend group if you ask us.)

The theater company also announced McKellen as the production’s “special guest” on Wednesday. In a statement posted to Trans What You Will’s Instagram, McKellen called Twelfth Night “perhaps the funniest and most moving of Shakespeare’s plays.”

“This is achieved through the complexity of gender and sexuality from first to last,” he said, adding that he’s “really looking forward to the impact of this latest version of the play at The Space.” (snip-MORE)

Good Calls, Here:

Most Human (Sonnet 2151) – Abhijit Naskar (with the first look of Nazmahal)

I Declare World Peace! 🕊

Lard’s World Peace Tips

By Keith Tutt and Daniel Saunders

https://www.ideclareworldpeace.com/

Options

I ran Harry Potter tours in Edinburgh – here’s why I’m stopping them for good

May 28 Written by Fraser Horn

Fraser Horn is dropping Harry Potter tours from his roster (Dan Chiu-Lezeau)

Fraser Horn is dropping Harry Potter tours from his roster (Dan Chiu-Lezeau)

The decision to drop Harry Potter tours in Edinburgh was not an easy one to make, but was necessary, says guide and Edinburgh Street Historians founder Fraser Horn, writing exclusively for PinkNews.

I was about 11 when I first got into Harry Potter, the kid looked a lot like me at the time.

My mum gave me a copy [of one of the books] and, like so many others, I felt the series captured the mood at the time: a sense of peril, mixed with optimism that the world could turn out OK if people stood up for what was right against what was wrong.

It was an instant classic of a kids book and that’s probably why so many millennials still hold such affection [for it] to this day. But we all grew after the series finished, some of us into decent people and others into cartoon villainy.

This is why today I’m announcing that following the success of the LGBTQ+ tour replacing Harry Potter, come July, the Harry Potter tour will not be coming back.

This decision was not made lightly. Although I wanted out of Potter ever since JK Rowling’s essay in 2020, the simple fact of the matter is that the story is so deeply ingrained in the Edinburgh tourism industry that it feels almost impossible to dislodge.

The connections between Edinburgh and Harry Potter very clearly involve Rowling, since it was [here] that the series was written. The films make demand stronger, bringing in a new audience, and repeat showings keep young people interested. With the new TV show, I expect Potter tourism to increase [here] and across the UK.

If any of those tourists are queer and want a tour that’s more important, they can book the LGBTQ+ one here.

I have been a guide since 2019 but went independent in February. Street Historians was a name that came from the idea that we would be like street magicians, but of history rather than magic. We’re fun, different and the best way to see Edinburgh, in my view.

The initial plan was to do a couple of tours – Edinburgh’s Old Town and Harry Potter – on a free/pay-what-you-want basis. I planned on doing this because I knew it worked. It was around March that I got in touch with LGBT Health and Wellbeing, a Scottish charity which focuses on supporting the health and wellbeing of LGBTQ+ adults. I wanted to discuss donating money from my Harry Potter profits to them but I also [said] I had offered an LGBTQ+ tour privately in the past.

They were particularly interested in the LGBTQ+ tour so I decided to run that every Friday at 6pm. It involves medical innovators, spies and [the] Aids [crisis], as well as how activists helped reshape society for the LGBTQ+ community. It is essential stuff.

I was motivated to drop Potter for Pride month because of the recent Supreme Court decision which will make our trans siblings unsafe. Rowling has confirmed she donated money to the organisation that advocated for the court decision and celebrated with a cigar picture on a boat, which made me want to drop Potter even more.

The Harry Potter tour will be replaced with a queer-related one. (Dan Chiu-Lezeau)

The response – both to the original LGBTQ tour and to replacing Potter with it – has been overwhelming.

People who have come on the LGBTQ+ tour love having an event which is a bit different from the standard fare, both in terms of walking tours and queer events. Guests have been making friends and these are the kind of life-long connections from which community is made. The decision to drop Potter for LGBTQ+ history has been a success and most have been positive about it.

However, some thought I was doing it for the wrong reason: rainbow capitalism, or purely to make money for Pride, before switching back to the Potter tours. It’s fair that the community might expect this sort of thing because as we’ve seen, companies change very quickly. A great example of this would be Barclays Bank, which has a very proud LGBTQ+ section. Then I read how they are banning trans people from using the toilets of their gender, based on the court ruling.

To reassure people, Potter will not be coming back to the Street Historians roster. We have been looking for more interesting stories to tell, for example on forgotten women.

Even with significant economic considerations, it seems necessary for me to drop Potter. The series may be a draw for other people but it is proving harder as time goes by to conjure up enthusiasm. Some may be upset, but I guess that’s the lesson I took from the sort of books I read growing up. We have to take a stand eventually or nothing will ever change.

Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful. (snip)