Over the past few weeks, there has been serious controversy and outrage over the "Bathroom Ban." In case you missed it, the bathroom ban is a policy that would prohibit transgender individuals from using the bathroom of their identity, and instead forces them to use the one of their birth. This not only makes the daily lives of these people far more difficult than they deserve, but is utter discrimination against them as a whole.
While this is fairly recent news, another more recent story has taken over the media and has affected the lives of far too many people. The mass shooting at the gay club in Orlando over Pride Weekend is a tragedy that has shaken communities from coast to coast. As we pay respects to the victims, one thing is abundantly clear. To those of us who hold the community deep in the roots of ourselves and to those who we call allies, the fight is far from over. While the right to love has been won, the right to live openly as who we are is threatened.
Are pride-goers celebrating their community truly the problem? Are LGBT+ citizens using the appropriate bathroom really the threat to public safety? As we keep these questions clear in our minds, it becomes clearer what the real threat to public safety has become. Homophobia and transphobia can be as deadly in the minds as guns can be in hands. While clearly not every homophobe with a gun will become a killer, we now know how serious some people's hatred is. Hate crimes are still very much a problem, and harassment, both verbal and physical, can cause their own damage to an individual.
The LGBT+ community is NOT a threat to public safety, and it is discriminatory to believe so. The threat to public safety is the homophobic/transphobic mindsets of those who would act on their hatred and wish to harm the lives of innocent people.
As Milwaukee Pride weekend comes to a close, I find more and more reasons to love and be grateful as I reflect back on each new friend I met, each memory made, and each and every time I can walk holding my boyfriend's hand feeling proud of who I am and what I am a part of. Everyone can make a difference, even by simply being your truest, bravest self and embodying the change you wish to see. Stay proud, Milwaukee.
