Celebrating LGBTQIA+ Pride Month
Stand in solidarity with LGBTQIA+ members, colleagues and service users
June is Pride Month – a time to celebrate LGBTQIA+ people, communities and history. We’re proud to stand with LGBTQIA+ members, colleagues and service users. We’re committed to building a profession where everyone can thrive, free from discrimination and full of pride.
Why Pride matters to occupational therapy
Occupational therapy is all about enabling people to live the life they want – whoever they are, wherever they come from and however they identify. We know that for many LGBTQIA+ people, this can mean navigating barriers, stigma and exclusion.
That’s why inclusion is at the heart of what we do. By understanding the unique experiences of LGBTQIA+ people, we can offer more responsive, respectful and effective care. And by championing diversity within our profession, we become stronger, more creative and more compassionate.
Why it matters now more than ever
Pride Month isn’t just a celebration – it’s a call to solidarity and action. Around the world and here in the UK, LGBTQIA+ rights are being challenged. From the spread of misinformation and hate speech to the rolling back of hard-won protections, the climate for LGBTQIA+ people is becoming more hostile.
For occupational therapists, this is a professional issue as well as a personal one. Discrimination and fear have a direct impact on people’s health, wellbeing and ability to live full lives. We must be prepared to listen, advocate and stand up – in our workplaces, our services and our communities.
Show your solidarity!
We’d love to see our members sharing LGBTQIA+ pride across the world of OT. If you attend a local pride event, hold a work event, use your member logo or snap a photo of something you’re reading – share it on social media and tag us alongside the #OTPride.
Your member logo
In 2025, we introduced an LGBTQIA+ Pride month version of the Member of RCOT (MRCOT) logo!
Add it to your digital platforms, celebrate in your signatures or wave it at a Pride event near you!
Join our LGBTQIA+ network
The LGBTQIA+ network on RCOT Communities is your space to connect, share and grow alongside LGBTQIA+ occupational therapists, students and allies.
Working together, this network supports members in finding solidarity, raising awareness and advocating for inclusive practice.
Be a critical friend
If you want to support LGBTQIA+ OTs and act as a critical friend to RCOT, you could join the LGBTQIA+ Expert Advisory Group.
Email [email protected] to join.
What we're doing
Our hero ‘O’
As we do every year to mark LGBTQIA+ Pride Month, we'll be changing the ‘O’ in our RCOT logo to show solidarity with our LGBTQIA+ members, colleagues and people everywhere.
The design is based on Daniel Quasar’s progress pride flag.
The ‘O’ in our logo represents our identity as an organisation as well as ‘occupation’. We wouldn’t be here without the LGBTQIA+ folks who have significantly contributed to our profession.
Spotlighting the voices, stories and contributions of LGBTQIA+ occupational therapists
Useful resources
Read, watch and share
Challenge your own biases
Explore our Equity, Diversity and Belonging toolkit. This first toolkit focuses on critical self-awareness and will help you build insight into your own biases and guide you in overcoming them.
Our commitment to equity, diversity and belonging
We know that real change takes action. That’s why equity, diversity and belonging are core to our strategy, our leadership and our work with members. We're listening, learning and working together to create a profession where every LGBTQIA+ person feels seen, valued and safe.
Check out our Equity, diversity and belonging strategy and action plan