Before I start, let’s alllll get one thing straight (no pun intended). If you intend to read this article and then proceed to call or email me with hate or vitriol; if you intend to call me names, tell me I need to find God (my relationship with God is just fine, thanks) or any other nonsense, please do us both a favor and just stop reading now. Because honestly, it’s a waste of your time, because things are about to get super gay here for a few minutes and if you send me nasty-grams about it, I’m just going to post it on the internet for people to make fun of you. I know that you think I’m joking, but your hateful responses will net me massive amounts of Reddit karma, and I’m not above using that. Something good should at least come from it.

First things first. Let’s talk about how Pride Month came to be in the first place.

According to the Library of Congress, “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month (LGBT Pride Month) is currently celebrated each year in the month of June to honor the 1969 Stonewall riots in Manhattan. The Stonewall riots were a tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the United States. In the United States, the last Sunday in June was initially celebrated as ‘Gay Pride Day,’ but the actual day was flexible. In major cities across the nation, the ‘day’ soon grew to encompass a month-long series of events. Today, celebrations include pride parades, picnics, parties, workshops, symposia, and concerts, and LGBT Pride Month events attract millions of participants around the world. Memorials are held during this month for those members of the community who have been lost to hate crimes or HIV/AIDS. The purpose of the commemorative month is to recognize the impact that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals have had on history locally, nationally, and internationally.”

In recent years, I have begun to ask myself if I need to keep writing these stories about Pride. I mean, gay marriage is legal; the LGBTQ+ community arguably has more rights and freedoms than ever before (not that there isn’t progress yet to be made). Why do we still need little old me to stir up the Gay Pride Pot?

Thhhheeeennn things happen…

You know what I mean. People open their mouths and say stupid things, and I am quickly reminded, “Oh yeah, THAT’S why.”

Listen, you are absolutely entitled to your opinion on the LGBTQ+ community. That is your right as a red, white, and blue American. But a couple of things first.

1. Your right to your opinion doesn’t mean that you aren’t going to be open to the consequences of your choice to voice said opinions.
2. Regardless of your opinion, you cannot and will not shove the LGBTQ+ community back in the closet (or back on the shelf as the case may be…)

I am the first to admit that as a straight woman, I obviously do not understand living as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t accept those that do. Nor does it mean that I don’t support their right to live as freely and equally as me.

So back to the original question — Why Do We Still Need Pride?

We need Pride as a way for LGBTQ+ people to connect with and feel safe in their communities. And to celebrate who they are. Being straight is easy. There’s no ‘coming out’ or having to explain to grandma at Christmas why you don’t have an opposite-sex partner. It just is. There’s no coming to terms with having a sexual identity that, somehow in the modern 21st-century world, people still want to hate you for.

What better way to know that your community accepts and supports you than a Pride event?

Another reason why Pride matters for everyone is because it is a space and time where others are more aware of their own behaviors and how supportive they are or are not of the community.

So, celebrate Pride. Support the LGBTQ+ members of your community. Or, at the very least, do us all a favor and don’t actively work against them. Remember what your mom told you about not having anything nice to say?

No one should experience bullying, harassment, or discrimination because of sexual orientation or gender identity. Not agreeing with a different life than yours doesn’t give you free rein to respond with judgment and certainly not violence.

Although a lot of progress has been made in gay rights over the years, there is still much more work to be done. There are still too many states without discrimination protections for the LGBTQ community and still too many people with hate in their hearts for people different than themselves. Let’s all do what we can to support equality on all fronts in our country.