June has arrived, and with it, the colorful Pride Month. “Pride” traces its roots to the Stonewall Uprising of June 1969, when members of the LGBTQ+ community stood together in courage against injustice. What began as resistance has grown into a global movement for visibility, acceptance, and joy. Pride celebrates love, authenticity, and the right to live openly and fully.

As we celebrate Pride, we are invited to pause and reflect as rainbow colors light up our communities, hospitals, and hearts. Pride is a powerful affirmation of the beauty of being oneself. For those of us who practice pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine, Pride is a meaningful reminder of the humanity at the core of our work: to see, hear, and honor every person who enters our care in clinics, inpatient wards, bronchoscopy suites, sleep labs, and ICUs. Our profession asks us to meet people who are at their most vulnerable. In these moments, identity matters. It shapes how people hope, whom they trust, and how they want to be seen. Recognizing and affirming our patients’ identities creates space for dignity, respect, and healing.

Acceptance in health care means more than avoiding harm—it means embracing everyone as whole and worthy. It means honoring the names, pronouns, and relationships that give our patients a sense of self and belonging. It means being mindful of language, creating welcoming environments, and standing up for health care for all, even when uncomfortable. These are small acts of care that have a profound impact.

LGBTQ+ individuals continue to face disparities in access, experience, and outcomes within health care and the field of pulmonary and critical care medicine. Our commitment to the service of our patients is not aspirational; it is essential.

While Pride reminds us of past struggles and the work ahead, it is also a joyous time—joy in the freedom to be authentic, the visibility of stories once silenced, and the connections we build across differences. In our hospitals and clinics, joy takes shape when LGBTQ+ patients feel safe to speak freely, when a young trainee sees someone thriving in medicine, or when a colleague feels empowered to bring their whole self to work.

The diversity of identities, experiences, and perspectives in the LGBTQ+ community enriches our field and deepens our empathy. It challenges us to expand our understanding of what it means to care—not just clinically but humanely. We become better clinicians—not despite our differences but because of them.

This Pride Month, let us lead with kindness and reflect on how we show up for our patients, our colleagues, and ourselves. Let us celebrate the vibrant spectrum of human identity that enriches our work and gives it more profound meaning. In doing so, we honor an entire movement—not just one month. Because at its heart, Pride is a celebration of love, truth, and the simple but powerful right to be seen.

Thank you for joining us in this beautiful celebration.