Be Proud This Month and Every Month That Follows
June is LGBT Pride Month.
What does this mean to a straight man like me? At first, in all honesty, it didn't mean much to mean. Sadly, that was during a time where I was homophobic, which is something that isn't easy to admit for me. That was a long time ago when I was younger. To this day, whenver I look back on it, I'm ashamed of how ignorant and intolerant I once was when I was younger. But as I grew older and wiser to the world around me, I started feeling sympathy and empathy for those I insulted.
I started asking myself serious questions, such as why am I acting like this, why can't two people of the same sex fall in love and marry, why am I being such an asshole about it. Maybe because of my pretty conservative family (who have grown to be more supportive of homosexuality too), maybe it came from the influence of the very Christian community in the town I grew up in, or maybe I was just some angry shithead who took his anger out on others for no reason, I honestly just don't know. I tried to find an answer as to why I ever was like that, but sadly, I couldn't come up with one. For so long, I wished I could erase that part of my life, but then I realized that it did help me become the better man that I am today. There's a great quote from Star Trek: The Next Generation that can sum me up.
"There are many parts my youth that I'm not proud of. Loose threads, untidy parts of me that I would like removed. But when I pulled on one of those threads, it unraveled the tapestry of my life."
I'm glad I am no longer this ignorant young shithead that I once was. That's the beautiful thing about life and living: you learn as you grow. I have fully accepted everyone who is gay or lesbian or bisexual or transgender, and so on. I have interacted with many people of different orientations, some of which have become good friends of mine. I even wrote several poems and stories with LGBT themes, and have featured several LGBT characters in my Sins of the Father series. I'm a proud supporter of the LGBT community, and I'll gladly stand with them. I'm not afraid to show that support.
Why write this? Why confess this, you ask. So that anyone reading this can learn two important lessons:
1) Anyone can change their views
2) Everyone can learn to accept and love
What does Pride Month mean to a straight man like me? It means that it is a time to for those who are born different to celebrate who they are and not feel ashamed or afraid, despite what certain political and religious powers say. It is a time to embrace and spread the love. It is a time to stand with your friends and family members who are part of the LGBT community and let them know that they are never alone and that they are loved.
Remember, love is love.
And June is the right month to share the love.