June as Pride Month honors the culture, history and contributions of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual,Two Spirit and all the gender and sexual orientations that make up the LGBTQIA2S+ community.

Pride @ Work, an affinity group that any University of Minnesota faculty, staff or graduate student can join, offers a way for those within the community and their allies to engage in social and professional networking, create University-wide change and discuss critical topics that impact LGBTQIA2S+ employees.

“The most encouraging feedback I’ve gotten is that people are excited to learn they are not alone in the University system,” says Megan Dolezal, an admin lead for Pride @ Work and an administrative manager for the East Bank District in Facilities Management on the Twin Cities campus.

“Queerness can be an invisible identity for many so it’s important to accept and be open to everyone,” explains Ali Peelor, an admin lead for Pride @ Work and an events services coordinator for Student Union and Activities in the Office for Student Affairs on the Twin Cities campus. “Additionally, someone might not be comfortable being openly queer and Pride@Work creates an accessible community for those exploring their identities.”

Rolling the dice, Discord movie nights and the genius of the “Anti-Seasonal Depression Dispatch” 

Members can enjoy several in-person activities such as happy hours, bowling, game nights, monthly lunches and more, along with virtual engagement opportunities via Discord for movie nights, maintaining ongoing connections and sharing community events and resources.

For one in-person outing, Dolezal organized a Gopher Women’s hockey night, which provided free tickets for the 50 Pride@Work attendees.

“A lot of people hadn’t gone to a University sporting event so it was a great way to see what the U has to offer in many ways,” says Dolezal. “People love the opportunity to do new things in community with each other and build connections.”

Campus tours are another popular activity. For example, one of the group’s members worked in the College of Biological Sciences and helped organize a tour of the Conservatory and Botanical Collection on the St. Paul campus. “These tours offer a great chance for our colleagues to experience new places and resources across the University system. We’ve explored the Maker Space, the Tretter Collection archives and bowled at Goldy’s,” says Peelor.

Outside of in-person meetups, Pride @ Work launched a new initiative in early 2026 named the “Anti-Seasonal Depression Dispatch,” where members can sign up to send and receive creative items such as cards or art via campus mail to brighten colleagues’ winter months.

How to offer support

Aside from joining the group, there are additional ways to support Pride @ Work.

“We would love for people to cheer us on at the Twin Cities Pride Parade and participate in additional Pride events we have coming up like our tie-dye and parade banner signing party on June 16,” says Peelor.

You can also volunteer at the University’s Twin Cities Pride booth using the volunteer sign-up form.

“I think we all benefit when we can come together in community like this,” says Dolezal. “We all do better when we all do better.”

Learn more about Pride @ Work, join the group’s listserv and explore Pride events throughout Minnesota.