June is pride month, and I’ve seen some questions being raised about pride. How can people of the community improve pride parades and events? Why do we have pride month? Why is there no straight or cisgender pride?
I’ve been to a pride parade before, and I couldn’t help but notice a lot of it was extremely sexualized, which can alienate asexuals, who are just as much a part of the community as the rest of us. This can also deter younger members of the community, those of which are under 18, or it can deter the parents or guardians who are bringing minors. Desexualizing pride, or separating the sexual parts from the non-sexual parts, is a good start to improving pride events. Other ways to improving pride are to provide information on genders, sexualities and romantic orientations in order to help everyone feel welcomed and loved.
We have pride month because it used to be illegal in the United States to be LGBTQ, and it is still illegal in other parts of the world and can be punishable by death. We have pride month and pride parades to bring the LGBTQ community together, and to bring understanding and acceptance to the global community. Also, I have noticed that it is a way to reject the shame that can be brought upon the LGBTQ community, meaning when we are shamed for being gay or bisexual or transgender, pride is a way to reject that. Pride is a way to show who we are, that we are here and we are proud. Pride is a way for LGBTQ people to accept ourselves. It is also a way to remember those who have died due to hate crimes, or by taking their own life because of bullying.
There is no straight or cisgender pride because it has never been illegal to be straight or cis. There is no straight or cisgender pride because it has never been punishable by death to be straight or cis. Having said that, I believe there is no reason for a straight and cis person to not have pride. Everyone has the right to love and respect. I also believe, however, that once you start acting like you are better than someone who LGBTQ simply because you are straight or cisgender or both, you are being disrespectful to the entire LGBTQ community, and have lost the respect of a lot of people, including myself. No person is inferior to another.
Pride is important to a lot of people, whether it be for showing pride in oneself, remembering those we have lost and will lose, or rejecting the shame put on them.
