Pride Month is celebrated every year in the month of June to recognize the impact that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals have had on history locally, nationally, and internationally. The month of June was chosen to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan, which was a tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the United States.

Find out what pride means to some of our employees below:

Jonathan Kaufman is Senior Director, Financial and Operational Planning. He’s been with Frontier for a year and a half.

• Why is Pride Month important to celebrate? While general public support for — and commensurate legislative protection of — equal rights for our community has improved over the past couple of decades in the U.S., the LGBTQIA community is still persecuted in much of the world today. Without having taken the supremely vulnerable action of speaking out and acting out for legal protection and equal treatment, it is likely that our community would still be plagued by prejudice and held back from realizing our full potential in our professional and family lives.
• What does Pride Month mean to you? Pride Month is simultaneously an opportunity to celebrate what the bravest in our community — both past and present — have achieved, as well as a reminder of how much work remains to be done, both at home and globally. We must never be complacent.
• Who is an LGBTQIA person in history whom you admire? Alan Turing [a British mathematician who has since been acknowledged as one the most innovative and powerful thinkers of the 20th century — sometimes called the progenitor of modern computing]

Morgan Drake is an Ascend Management Trainee who previously worked as an area manager for AvFlight at GRR.

• Why is Pride Month important to celebrate? Pride month is an opportunity to celebrate LGBTQIA culture and achievements. It is a time to reflect on how far the community has come and continue to create an affirming space.
• What does Pride Month mean to you? Pride Month is a month where I can connect with the community in celebration of LGBTQIA culture and support LGBTQIA rights.
• Who is an LGBTQIA person in history whom you admire? Marsha P. Johnson [transgender activist and advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights and one of the prominent figures in the Stonewall uprising of 1969].

Lukas Ruhnau is a Flight Attendant. He’s been with Frontier for two years.

• Why is Pride Month important to celebrate? June is not just time for celebration, it’s also a time to raise awareness of issues we might experience being part of the LGBTQIA+. It shines a light on the unique challenges we might face so that we can support each other better. Pride should be a safe space for LGBTQIA+ people to celebrate a part of ourselves we may hide. Parades and other events allow us to be ourselves with pride, rather than hide parts of who we are behind closed doors, which some of us have to do more often than others.
• What does Pride Month mean to you? Pride is being proud of who you are. It's about not worrying what others will think of you or being discriminated against based on your race, nationality, religion, or sexual orientation.
• Who is an LGBTQIA person in history whom you admire? James Finn, LGBTQIA Columnist