So, for those of you who don't know, "Pride Month" has begun! Pride Month takes place in the month of June. It is when the LGBTQ+ community takes time to celebrate the fact that they don't have to hide anymore and are able to celebrate their ability to love whomever they love. Now, one thing I always here whether it is "Pride Month," "Black History Month," "Hispanic Heritage Month," etc. is "Where is our special month"? And I'm kind of tired of it. As an ally to the LGBTQ+ community and other minority groups, I would like to say chill the eff out. Seriously though, when was the last time you were told that you were going to be damned to hell for being who you are or loving your someone special?

The whole idea that you think you need a "special month" for "Straight Pride" is a bit confounding and ridiculous. I'm not saying that you shouldn't be proud of who you are or the person you love, I absolutely think you should. But you get to love the person you love without judgement, ridicule, or people damning you to hell. (By the way, as a Christian who attended a Southern Baptist high school and has also read the Bible, I would like to remind you that God is the judge. James 4:12 says,"There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?" You literally have no authority to damn people to hell) .

The thing is that you don't need a special month to celebrate being straight. You see you don't need a month, you get a year of celebrating you. You also don't need a month to celebrate being white. You also get a year of them. You see, even though you may feel "attacked" or "confused" about the "Black Lives Matter Movement" or "Pride Month" or "Hispanic Heritage Month" or "Black History Month," white people have re-written history over the years to make us look better than we were/are. I know that may be a hard pill to swallow, believe me, I know. But it's true.

You see, segregation in the United States only ended in 1964. That is only 30 years before I was born, and only 54 years ago. The LGBTQ+ community only established support systems in the United States in 1950 in L.A. and didn't gain momentum until 1962, two years before segregation ended. Both groups have been victims of hate crimes, and have only, barely, been accepted into society.

In 1974, the American Psychiatric Association declared homosexuality a disease. It was also a crime. From 1700-2003 sodomy was considered a suitable punishment for many homosexual acts in the United States. You think that's bad? Honey, we haven't even talked about the AIDS/HIV epidemic of the 80's. In 1981, a group of 270 people was diagnosed with this "cancer" as they called it back then. Luckily, two senators delegated 5 million dollars to research that lead to the term and diagnosis of AIDS. In 1982, the first congressional hearing for AIDS/HIV convened where the CDC revealed they estimated that tens of thousands of people were affected by this disease. Unfortunately that December it was learned that infants were acquiring the virus through blood transfusions. So much more happened, but maybe that's for another article. But thanks to 2015 legislation, all anti-LGBT laws were abolished, and marriage for the LGBT community was made legal through the whole of the United States. (We still have discrimination issues though).

Anyway, the point is, there is a lot for this community, and other minority communities to celebrate. Please don't take away from that with your ignorance. You get eleven months out of the year, so calm down. Start planning your fourth of July bash. Or even better, join in the festivities as an ally to communities that need love, support, and the same respect you'd expect for yourself.

To learn more about the LGBTQ+ community please visit these websites. Or if you or someone you know is in need of an ally, please visit these websites. There are phone numbers in the second link to call for any support you may need! Please remember you are not alone.

https://www.pflag.org/

https://www.pflag.org/hotlines

https://www.glaad.org/