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Prince Harry & Meghan Markle Honor Pride Month By Highlighting These LGBTQ+ Charities

In honor of Pride Month, which officially began on June 1, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle highlighted some LGBTQ+ charities they support in a touching post on the couple’s Instagram account over the weekend. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex gave a royal shout-out to 11 worthy organizations that all work toward inclusion and diversity, and hopefully their platform will inspire others to follow the charities and, if they're able to, donate to their important work.

On June 1, Prince Harry and Markle’s account, @SussexRoyal, posted a collage of nine photos highlighting LGBTQ+ work. "Continuing with our tradition to rotate the accounts we follow based on causes and social issues that matter to us: For the month of June we 'proudly' shine a light on PRIDE," the caption on the post read. "This month we pay tribute to the accounts supporting the LGBTQ+ community — those young and old, their families and friends, accounts that reflect on the past and are hopeful for a deservedly more inclusive future."

The couple's post continued, "We stand with you and support you... Because it’s very simple: love is love."

In Prince Harry and Markle's post, they tagged the following organizations:

  • The Trevor Project: This organization is a youth-focused crisis and suicide prevention charity, and it's also the leading national organization providing these important services.
  • PFLAG: This organization works to unite "people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) with families, friends, and allies, PFLAG is committed to advancing equality through its mission of support, education, and advocacy."
  • The Matthew Shepard Foundation: Founded after the hate-crime murder of Matthew Shepard in Wyoming in the late 1990s, this charity's work "empowers individuals to embrace human dignity and diversity through outreach, advocacy and resource programs" and they "strive to replace hate with understanding, compassion and acceptance."
  • Stonewall UK: With outreach across the U.K., this foundation educates people on how they can support and initiate positive change for LGBT people "at work, home and in their communities."
  • The Elton John AIDS Foundation: This organization is working to eradicate AIDS across the globe and has raised more than $400 million in 25 years with the mission "to challenge discrimination against people affected by the epidemic, prevent infections, provide treatment and services, and motivate governments to end AIDS."
  • It Gets Better: Their stated mission is to "uplift, empower and connect LGBTQ+ youth around the globe."
  • AKT Charity: This organization works for LGBTQ+ youth in the U.K. who are homeless or living in hostile situations.
  • Sage USA: This is a U.S.-based charity and is the world's largest and oldest that advocates for older adults in the LGBTQ+ community.
  • The Human Rights Campaign: This is the nation's largest LGBTQ civil rights organization. Their works aims at making sure "LGBTQ people are ensured equality at home, work & in every community."

Markle and Prince Harry also tagged the accounts for @LGBTQ and @Pride, which are general accounts advocating for these communities.

Markle and Prince Harry's Pride Month post also included a touching tribute to Princess Diana, who was a leader in outreach to the LTBTQ community during her life, according to Good Morning America. When AIDS was on the rise in the 1980s, she famously hugged and held hands with patients, according to the BBC, helping to destigmatize the disease and quell fears about it.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's choice to focus on social justice issues has gotten great support from their followers, with appreciation for the spotlight that the couple are aiming at important issues. One wrote on their Pride Month post, "We stan for a couple that promotes inclusivity and diversity!" Actress Jameela Jamil's inclusivity campaign IWeigh even added "Thank you for sharing these accounts with us. They are so important."

And they’re not just offering lip service. Last month, in fact, Prince Harry met with the CEO of an organization that works on behalf of transgender and gender-variant children, according to People.

How Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have used their platform to promote kindness and inclusivity seems genuine and perfectly reflective of their ideals. With Pride Month underway, and every day, it's definitely the right time to check out these organizations and learn about all the important work going on worldwide.