This June, thousands of people flocked to Loring Park in Minneapolis for the 51^st annual Twin Cities Pride Festival. The event is an opportunity for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex and Asexual (LGBTQIA+) individuals to celebrate living as their truest selves and for allies to show support.

“I was overwhelmed by the welcoming sense of community, love and acceptance,” says Stacy Van Meter, vice president of talent acquisition, employer brand and people analytics and executive chair of the Blue Pride associate resource group (ARG). “To hear ‘Happy Pride’ everywhere I went and witness the bold colors, wide smiles, hugs and happiness was the true definition of love.”

Van Meter was one of nearly two dozen Blue Pride ARG members and other Blue Cross associates hosting a booth at the event.

“It was inspirational to see so many people from our community celebrating Pride and showing up to the festival as their authentic self,” says Jason Lawton, senior talent development consultant and Blue Pride co-chair. “We had a lot of amazing allies show up to volunteer at our booth and show up in the community at large.”

Volunteers handed out pride flags, buttons, stickers, bags and shared information about the LGBTQIA+ support provided by Blue Cross.

“It was so wonderful to experience the diversity of members we have, and just the positive impact we are starting to outwardly show with programs to better help the LGBTQIA+ community,” says Tyler Nesset, Blue Pride member and Blue Cross member experience specialist. “It is great to work for and help represent an employer who is not just leading the way for their employees when it comes to diversity, but also the members they help insure.”

As volunteers interacted with the crowd, they took the opportunity to listen by conducting an informal survey. They asked eventgoers, “What do communities most need to create better health for all?” The majority of participants answered, “Access to diverse and affordable mental healthcare providers.”

Blue Cross has been supporting Twin Cities Pride since 1999. While many strides have been made in recent years to advance LGBTQIA+ health, the event also serves as a reminder there is still more work to be done. Blue Cross and Blue Pride are proud to support the LGBTQIA+ community and look forward to being part of the Twin Cities Pride Festival for many years to come.