June has arrived. A time when we recognize LGBTQ+ Pride Month, a month-long period when many come together in celebration of LGBTQ+ histories, communities, and futures. Participation may come in many forms from quiet reflections to large festivals, and many experience a range or multiple emotions during this time.
Of course, Pride is not simply a single month. Pride can be carried, practiced, and honored throughout the year and in many ways including in our scholarship, our clinical work, our teaching, our advocacy, and in how we show up for one another. Pride is about celebration and resistance, joy and struggle, and our ongoing collective liberation. Pride is also about remembering those who came before us who have shaped our field, science, and communities and who insisted on dignity and transformation in the face of systemic oppression. We also remain grounded in the realities of the current sociopolitical climate, where LGBTQ+ communities, particularly transgender and gender diverse and multiply marginalized people, continue to maintain hope in the face of harm and resistance.
I want to extend my gratitude to the members of Division 44. Your scholarship, practice, mentorship, and advocacy are vital to advancing the psychology of sexual and gender diversity. I am especially grateful for our Executive Committee and Executive Board. The care, thoughtfulness, and commitment you all bring make it possible for our division to be responsive to the realities we find ourselves in. This work is not easy; it is the collective dedication of all of our division members that makes the work possible. I am so deeply thankful that I have been able to witness and work alongside many of you. Thank you.
As we prepare for the upcoming APA Convention, I can say that there is so much to be excited about. Division 44 will be hosting many kinds of programming, including presentations, socials, meetings, and other opportunities for meaningful connection and networking. We will also celebrate and congratulate all those who were nominated for and selected to receive Division 44 awards this year.
If you will be attending the convention, please come say hello; after all, connection remains at the heart of what we do.
Finally, I want to acknowledge and thank everyone who ran for an elected position within Division 44. Just participating in this process is meaningful and reflects commitment to service and leadership. I am looking forward to the leadership and perspectives of Melissa Grey, PhD, Division 44 incoming president-elect and Lex Pulice-Farrow, PhD, incoming member-at-large who will help us to continue to move our division forward.
Melissa J. Grey, PhD (she/her)
President-elect
Lex Pulice-Farrow, PhD (he/they)
Member-at-large