Looking back 10 years ago, the idea of queer bodies existing in the public eye was something of a fantasy. While there certainly were gay and lesbian characters in movies and TV shows, they were usually extreme caricatures which relied on stereotypes in order to fully flesh out their personality. Even worse, these characters were usually the butt of some offensive joke used to get a laugh out of their heteronormative audience.

Sure, there were openly gay celebrities such as RuPaul and Ellen DeGeneres, but they only made up a small fraction of people in Hollywood who were openly queer and proud of it. Ten years ago, there was still a suffocating fear of outing oneself, lest they are met with backlash and disapproval from society, friends, and even family members.

However, things are drastically changing in the 2010s, a revolution is taking place in the world that will change what it means to be a member of the LGBTQ+ community: queer is now cool.

"RuPaul's Drag Race," a show once featured on the obscure LOGO TV channel, is now broadcast on cable to VH1 making it more accessible to people everywhere. Netflix's revival of "Queer Eye" has gay men giving a makeover to straight men in order to improve their lives and their relationships with others.

Other Netflix Originals such as "Sense8" and "Orange is the New Black" give the spotlight to not only gays and lesbians, but trans* folk as well. Films like "Moonlight" and "Love, Simon" are receiving critical acclaim from audiences everywhere, with praise being directed at their proper representation of gay characters. By having people consume this media, it makes being a queer person almost seem normal.

The gay lexicon has also seeped into the vernacular of straight people everywhere. I can't tell you how many times I've heard people go "yas!" and "slay, queen!" or talk about how their face is "beat for the gods." These terms harken back to the New York City Drag Balls of the '70s and '80s, an underground scene in which drag queens and gay men could come together and celebrate their queerness.

If you ever want to experience a real-life drag ball, I recommend watching the 1990 documentary "Paris Is Burning" on Netflix. Not only does it offer a view into one of these glitzy affairs, it also gives insight into the struggles of the LGBTQ+ community in a time when AIDS was killing queer folk everywhere.

As a gay man, I recognize the struggles of those who came before me. They fought for the representation we see today. They made their voices louder than those that were trying to quiet them. If it weren't for LGBTQ+ icons like Marsha P. Johnson, we wouldn't have a whole month dedicated to celebrating our queerness, we still would've been stuck back in the closet along with everyone else.

I appreciate the sacrifices others have made so that I may exist comfortably in the world and love who I want.

As a gay man, I also recognize that we still have a long way to go.