In honor of Pride Month, a young Oklahoma girl is making rainbow scrunchies and masks and will donate proceeds to The Trevor Project.
By Heather Newgen
COVID-19 may have killed the fun festivities for Pride Month, but it hasn't killed the spirit. This year you won't see extravagant floats or fabulous parades in the streets, but 12-year-old Charli Williams is still excited about the annual event.
"Pride Month to me is celebrating people's differences and individuality. It's showing support for our LGBTQ family and friends," she told The Voluntourist.
And one way of showing her support is making rainbow colored scrunchies and masks that she's selling for $5.00 each, plus shipping. For every item sold, she will donate $2.00 to The Trevor Project at the end of June.
Scrunchies and a mask Charli Williams made for Pride Month
"Being a teenager is hard anyways and some kids don't have a parent or adult they can talk to about their feelings. The Trevor Project can help with that. Mental health is important, Williams said. [This] "is important to me because not enough people are supportive. Some people don't like people who are LGBTQ," she added.
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The Rainbow Flag became the symbol of Pride in 1978 after artist and gay rights activist Gilbert Baker created the iconic representation of hope, and Williams wanted to pay homage to the colorful emblem.
"I've been making scrunchies for about five months. Once people started to order them, I tried to select fabric for holidays. I knew June was Pride Month and I wanted to make something that people would enjoy and could show support."
She continued, "I have several friends, a family member and a dance teacher who is part of the LGBTQ community. Luckily, I don't know anyone who hasn't been treated nicely in the LGBTQ community. I do have some friends though who have gone through or are going through some rough spots dealing with depression and anxiety."
When Williams isn't making masks and watching the news to stay informed, she's dancing; and said it's her teachers, along with her family, who inspire her to help others.
"I really look up to Misty Copeland and Maria Tallchief. They really changed the standard of what a classic ballerina looks like. They worked very hard. I started making scrunchies to help pay for dance expenses like shoes and summer intensives. Making scrunchies for Pride seemed like a good way to help give back."
Pride Month is a global celebration to promote equality and LGBTQ rights, as well as to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall Riots, a rebellion against discriminatory police raids of gay bars in New York City.
For anyone who is anti-LGBTQ, Williams' message is, "I live by the rule of " if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all". People who don't support other's differences don't realize that words really can hurt. Words can really change a person's outlook on life. A single word can change a person's life."
To purchase a scrunchie or mask visit @scrunchiesbycharli on Instagram or email scrunchiesbycharli@gmail.com.