When I was growing up, I believed all the sci-fi shows that claimed that 2016 would be an immensely progressive time for people who not only had some pretty awesome technology but an environment that didn't have people, robots or aliens afraid to be themselves.

For years, I was given the impression that people of the LGBTQ community are loud and proud of who they are. Yet here we are, it's 2016 and I'm terrified to be myself.

I've been out of the closet for almost a year now, but I'm still hesitant to be the young queer woman I am today.

As natural as my sexuality is, it is not something I've always known about myself. I didn't even realize I was in the closet to begin with. But it's hard to realize you're in the dark about something when you've been in the dark your entire life.

For years, probably even as early as when my comprehension of words began, I've constantly been told that heterosexuality is literally my only option and anyone who doesn't follow that is a constant receiver of dreadful jokes. I grew up being told that being gay or lesbian meant you were a joke and that something was wrong with you. It was hard enough to go to a predominantly white school, but to be queer too? That was something that just wasn't acceptable.

It blows my mind that there are many people who switched their Facebook profiles to the theme above (upon the official ruling that legalized same-sex marriage) while still being the same people who make fun of people who identify in the large sexual spectrum.

It's revolting to know that people are still using the excuse of how they were raised or the fact that they have the obligatory gay friend to cancel out any harm in the offensive language they speak. They don't even realize that this type of behavior is what keeps people in the closet for so long. This is the type of nonsense that has people like me growing up not realizing that they were missing a huge part of who they are.

I bet there are some people who are like: "Who cares Kristina?" "You've been out for a year, you're fine." "People accept you, what's the big deal?"

I want to be treated like a human being and not a joke.

I'm tired of still hearing constant homophobic jokes because apparently the biggest insult to deal to a person is to be anything but heterosexual. I'm tired of watching queer representation disappear in the media because apparently most queer people can't be happy in a relationship, they're supposed to be dead for the sake of furthering a straight character's development. I'm tired of being treated like my sexuality is to satisfy another person's fetish. I'm tired of having to hold back with my family because I can't come out to everyone just yet. I'm tired of being told this might just be a phase, especially if I end up happy with a guy. I'm tired of living in this society of bullies who make a world where I don't feel safe to love a person regardless of their gender.

I'm so tired of this. I just want to be a person who loves guys and girls without the plethora of questions that are always asked. I just want to be Kristina Atienza. I want to be loud, proud and happy. I can't even imagine the lives of the people who have been dealing with this for a much longer time than I have.

Love is as natural as is it to breathe. We need to stop suffocating those who just want to enjoy this right. I wish the worst of it was coming out of the closet. I guess I just never expected to still live in a society where I feel like going back in. And if you don't see a problem with that sentence, you're the reason why we need change, and we need it now.