
Welcome back from summer break! In the U.S., the official end of summer holiday is usually Labor Day weekend. We hope the summer was good to you!! As a reminder, each month, we celebrate and remember important achievements and our collective progress on social impact throughout the years. So, whether you’re sending your kids back to school, closing out Q2 at your place of work or otherwise going about your day-to-day activities, here are a few reasons to celebrate in September!
September 1 – 30
Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month
Gynecologic cancers are cancers that affect female reproductive organs. Specific types include:
The ultimate goal of Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month is to raise awareness of the different risk factors and symptoms. One of our firm’s impact areas is “healthcare,” and we have an affinity for healthcare and services related to reproductive health.
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Awareness Month
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is an often painful hormonal disorder that can lead to reproductive issues, including irregular periods and infertility. However, we could all use a stronger misunderstanding of it. That’s why, during this month, those with PCOS advocate for research and educate the public on its symptoms and physical and mental effects (both).
Sexual Health Month
You hear a lot about health and wellness. But what about sexual health? What does it mean to be sexually healthy? Learn more about Sexual Health Month here. If you’d like to know more about how the overturning of Roe v. Wade impacted sexual and reproductive health in the U.S. in the past year or so, here’s a quick explainer for you.
Prostate Cancer Awareness Month
Prostate cancer will affect 1 in every 9 American men. While there’s no cure, you can lower your risk. The goals of this month are to raise awareness around prostate health, to educate people on the risks and symptoms, encourage people to get screened and advocate for more research.
Menopause Awareness Month
Happy Menopause Awareness Month! This is a great time to fight stigma and learn more about the various stages and conditions associated with menopause. These can include early menopause, perimenopause, sex and menopause, and other issues. See how Britain is leading the way in menopause recognition. The U.S. is slowly following suit in the workplace. As we uplift menopause we want to acknowledge that hormone fluctuations impact all genders. Conditions like hypogonadism and “andropause” (similar to menopause for men) underscore the significance of hormone-related health for everyone. Why does this matter? Gender-affirming care is being increasingly threatened and such attacks could risk hormone-based treatments needed by many.
Hunger Action Month
Our founder is from the Midwest and has previously worked at one of the most well-known, Midwestern-based, Fortune 500 food companies. While there, she led digital efforts to reduce global hunger. The firm understands that food security impacts every area of life; as one example, the United Nations Populations Fund notes that poverty and food insecurity are key drivers in sexual battery, survival sex, sex work, and child marriage. Census Bureau data reveals heightened pandemic-era hunger among LGBTQ+ individuals in the U.S., particularly among transgender and gender-nonconforming individuals, who face increased vulnerability due to financial constraints and homelessness, sometimes avoiding food assistance due to social stigma.
National Recovery Month
National Recovery Month celebrates those who work every day on their recovery from substance abuse or mental health conditions. This year’s theme is Recovery is for Everyone: Every Person, Every Family, Every Community. Find a wealth of information about recovery on samhsa.gov.
Self-Care Awareness Month
During these trying times, it’s especially important to make the effort to care for ourselves. Self-Care Awareness Month urges us to take personal wellness a little more seriously. It doesn’t need to be extravagant. Rest itself is a form of self-care. Some have taken part in “Black Power Naps” and learned more about rest from the Nap Ministry founder Tricia Hersey. Looking for other ways to care for yourself? Check out what Millenials and Gen Z are doing.
National Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month
National Suicide Prevention Week, September 4 – 10
World Suicide Prevention Day, September 10
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S. The LGBTQQAI+ community, who may face bullying from peers or rejection from their families, may have a higher risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors. (Learn more about the risk factors and warning signs.) Further, research shows that men died by suicide nearly 4 times more than women. Sexism hurts everyone. The fact that we work in gender means paying attention to all individuals. There’s always hope. If you or someone you know needs help, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (988).

National Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15 – October 15
Embrace the vibrant heritage of Hispanic and Latinx Americans as their rich (often overlooked) histories and remarkable achievements come to the forefront over these four weeks. We encourage you to celebrate the holiday by checking out a museum like this one: https://latino.si.edu/.
Monday, September 4
Labor Day
This holiday, formally established by Congress in 1894, is all about celebrating the U.S. laborers. It’s important to note that the rest of the world celebrates May Day (International Workers’ Day) as mentioned in our May Days to Remember. In an effort to limit global solidarity, the U.S. decided to celebrate on a different day that has now come to be the unofficial end to summer. Our firm celebrates both days being U.S.-based while also standing with international workers’! Not only do we celebrate these days, we stand with all the workers that are on strike. You’ve likely heard of the SAG-AFTRA strike in Hollywood, but did you know that there were over 300 strikes in 2022 and in just eight months in 2023, there have been nearly 200 spanning many industries? Strikes are rising as workers fight for fair pay, living wages, and acknowledgement.
Wednesday, September 6
Death of Margaret Sanger (1966)
Born September 14, 1879, Margaret Sanger was a controversial birth control advocate, eugenicist, nurse, and writer. Eventually, she opened the nation’s first birth control clinic in Brooklyn (1916). In 1948, she helped found the International Committee on Planned Parenthood, a precursor to today’s organization. She also worked with doctors to help develop a birth control pill. Despite her contributions to reproductive health, Sanger’s legacy will always be marred by her aggressive promotions of eugenics. In fact, due to her connection with racist eugenicist practices, Planned Parenthood in New York took her name off of their building. We love to see it and would like to see other organizations supporting women’s rights become more explicitly and actively anti-racist. History is ugly, but we have to face it anyway. – James Baldwin said, “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”
Read a Book Day
Take some time (or a lot of time!), grab a book you’ve been wanting to read, and just enjoy the simple, pleasurable act of reading.
Saturday, September 9
Surgeon General C. Everett Koop Airs His Views on Sex Education
In 1987 the then-Surgeon General released a report about the AIDS epidemic. In this report, he stated that not only should there be sex ed in schools, but that it should begin “…at the lowest grade possible,” which he felt was 3rd grade. He later added that “we have to be as explicit as necessary to get the message across.” America agreed, and by the early ‘90s, 47 states had some form of sex ed in the classroom. Sadly, like we’re taking steps backward, only 28 states mandate sex ed in schools. However, even if the ones that mandate it, not all require that what’s taught is actually scientifically or medically accurate. As a firm, we support age-appropriate, medically accurate sex ed for all from birth forward.
Thursday, September 14
Alfred C. Kinsey Publishes ‘Sexual Behavior in the Human Female.’
Published in 1953, this book further established Kinsey’s role as a leader in the controversial field of human sexuality. This book, plus ‘Sexual Behavior in the Human Male’, are known collectively as the Kinsey Reports. Kinsey interviewed over 6,000 women for the book. These interviews examined how factors such as age and religious beliefs impacted sexual behavior. When the book was published, several states were outlawing contraception. Many years later, the Griswold v. Connecticut ruling made such bans illegal. Well, now that SCOTUS has overturned Roe, it’s not unfathomable that they’d also overturn Griswold, given it’s part of the same fabric that belongs to Roe. This is exactly why we do the work that we do to support organizations that care about reproductive rights. If that’s your organization, you should get in touch with us.
Saturday, September 16
Global Internal Condom Day
Organized by several national and international gender equity and health groups, this day was created in order to educate the public about internal condoms, advocate for increased access to internal condoms, and encourage their wider use. Learn more about internal condoms.
Sunday, September 17
Constitution and Citizenship Day
As part of Constitution Week (held from September 17-23), this day marks the anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution in 1787 and acts as a celebration of U.S. citizenship. As the nation currently wrestles with what the true nature of citizenship really is, it may be a good time to review the Constitution. Roe was initially fought and won based on the 14th Amendment. That’s the same amendment that brought us birthright citizenship (i.e., if you’re born in the U.S., you’re an American citizen). With the overturning of Roe, some elected officials have argued that we should reconsider birthright citizenship as well. Again, this is exactly why we support the organizations that we do, and we celebrate their achievements in fighting against such harmful narratives.
Monday, September 18
HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day
It’s estimated that around 45% of people living with HIV or AIDS are aged 50 or older. In addition, rates of HIV infection are climbing amongst the 50+ age demographic. The goals for this day are twofold:
- To educate patients, medical professionals, and caregivers on how drug therapies may affect older adults.
- To raise awareness that anyone at any age, can get HIV or have AIDS. Remember, safe sex is for everybody!
Wednesday, September 20

National Voter Registration Day
Got a lot to say about what’s happening in your community and country? Great! Make your voice heard and register to vote. Voting and having your voice heard– that’s democracy. We specialize in “civic engagement and voting rights” and proudly partner with like-minded organizations (including a variety of nonprofits that work to stop voter suppression and inspire civic action) to help them WIN! Our focus is on amplifying democratic participation and ensuring voices are heard, particularly in the realm of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). The dynamic relationship between civic engagement and SRHR underscores the need for proactive measures, such as education, voting, candidate research, communication with officials, and volunteering, to counter voter suppression and positively impact marginalized communities.
End of U.S. Military’s ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy. (2011)
Officially established in 1994, ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ lifted the ban on lesbian and gay service members and protected them from discrimination – as long as they kept their identity under wraps. The passage of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act of 2010 officially ended the policy. Bad policies are usually, but not always, short-lived. So, though we’re living with a few bad policies and SCOTUS decisions now, we and our partners are doing the hard work to make the world better.
Thursday, September 21
Banned Websites Awareness Day
Started by the American Association of School Librarians (AASL), the purpose of Banned Websites Awareness Day is to call attention to those websites and social networking sites that many schools prevent students from accessing. While schools maintain that these sites are blocked over concerns over their content, these sites are often educational. The AASL rightly is concerned that filtered sites may include those with information on and for the LGBTQI community, health matters, or even bullying. There’s currently a push to ban books in the same vein as these efforts. To quote, former U.S. President Barack Obama, “Today, some of the books that shaped my life—and the lives of many others—are being challenged by people who disagree with certain ideas or perspectives.”
Saturday, September 23
Bi Visibility Day
Celebrate Bisexuality Day to counter marginalization and support the bisexual community, promote the community’s contributions to history and culture, and educate the public on bisexuality.
Monday, September 25
U.S. Congress approves the Bill of Rights. (1789)
Written two years after the Constitution, the Bill of Rights is intended to establish certain rights due to all citizens of the United States. The document encompasses the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution and covers two of our most controversial and legislated amendments, the First and Second. The U.S. hasn’t always gotten it right and amendments to our founding documents are a clear example of that.
Tuesday, September 26
World Contraception Day
World Contraception Day brings awareness about effective birth control methods, sadly we now find those under attack. Reproductive health-related pills are facing threats in the U.S., particularly concerning mifepristone, which is crucial to maintaining access to contraception. Different pills serve distinct purposes, from ending existing pregnancies to preventing conception, making it concerning that various forms of birth control could be at risk following the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Check out our founder’s post on the matter.
Thursday, September 28
International Safe Abortion Day
Held every year on September 28, this day is dedicated to ensuring that access to legal, medically-safe abortions is available to all. Organized by The Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights and other organizations, this day of action has its roots in advocacy efforts in the Caribbean and Latin America. Despite the fight for the right to safe abortions, SCOTUS overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022 which has suppressed this right for many women. As of June, at least 25 states took action to limit abortion access. Learn more about the increased risk here. To see what actions happening in your part of the world, visit the official website.
Saturday, September 30
International Podcast Day
Podcasts are big business – and big entertainment. Whether you’re interested in true crime, food, or sexuality and relationships – our favorite topics! – there’s a podcast out there for you! This day is dedicated to celebrating creators, producers, industry leaders, and listeners. If you produce a podcast, the official site provides several ideas to promote your content and engage with listeners worldwide. Below are a few we recommend.
Racial Justice:
- How Reproductive Justice Is Part of an Anti-Racist Agenda
- Because Reproductive Justice is Racial Justice
Food Security:
Healthcare: