06/01/2026
June is Pride month.
Yes, I know there are state proclamations being peppered through the country for it being named as “nuclear family month,” but yeah. It’s still pride month.
Conventional wisdom says I should avoid this topic in an election year. Well, I am of the opinion that we need to remember that we are ALL Americans and we deserve a government that works for all of us. After all, inclusion isn’t divisive except to those that divide.
I’m not going to entertain the usual “what about military/straight/whatever” nonsense, especially when there are two months set aside for honoring military service members (May and November) and really, EVERY month is “straight pride.” At the end of the day, LGBTQIA pride is both historical and social.
It’s a time where those of us in the q***r community can take solace in the reality that we are NOT alone. And for many of us, that in itself is a lifesaver.
So why do we celebrate Pride?
In short, because our existence continues to be threatened, and often by the very government that should be protecting us. Since 2020, more than 2,000 anti-LGBT bills have been filed throughout the country. From odious “don’t-say-gay” bills to new laws that require trans people to detransition, it’s clear that our community remains targeted and marginalized.
The Federal government even tried to remove the pride flag from the Stonewall Inn, widely known as the birthplace of the modern gay rights movement. The g**s fought back and the Pride flag flies once again over the legendary bar.
It was the last weekend in June of 1969 that Stonewall was once again raided by NYPD, and the denizens of the bar simply had enough. It was Marsha P. Johnson, a drag queen who was there to dance the night away, who was among the first people to fight back. The riots are commemorated every year with Pride festivals around the country.
We celebrate Pride because of all of these reasons; and stand against continued marginalization and oppression, standing tall when fear becomes the norm, and showing the world around us that we are EVERYWHERE.
And yet we continue to be marginalized. So many of us continue to walk with the fear that someone will hurt them or worse. All of these bills and the poisonous rhetoric around them have but one goal, to make LGBTQIA people feel utterly alone and hopeless.
It’s time we change that. First, let’s stop voting for bullies that prey on the marginalized. Listen to how they talk about people they view as less-than. Listen to the bile and bitterness. Hear the poison behind their words, and deny them the power they seek; for it will be power to oppress.
And don’t think for a second that such bullying stops at one group of people. And don’t think for a second that you wouldn’t be targeted, because to these bullies, their wrath is for anyone that speaks of kindness and embracing the different.
Look for people who speak life, not death. Look for the ones that lift people up, not tear down. Look, as Mr. Rogers said, for the helpers. And for many of us, we need only look into a mirror. For we ARE the helpers.
But never think for one second that you are less-than because you’re LGBTQIA. You aren’t. Sure, you’re a little different. So am I. Hell, we are all unique one way or another.
So I say to you, dear beloved q***r person:
You ARE NOT alone.
You ARE NOT an abomination.
You ARE NOT a threat.
And NO you are NOT damned just because of who you are.
You ARE loved!
You ARE valued!
You ARE worthy!
And YES you ARE amazing.
Stand tall, my rainbow friends. You deserve to be loved.
Always.
Happy Pride, y’all!
