The holidays can be an exciting time for people, from listening to Christmas music, to buying presents for your loved ones, to sometimes doing some DIY to baking cookies. It's supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year.
But still, I can't help but think about some of the people who are LGBTQ that may not really be looking forward to the holidays.
Maybe they are rejected by their families for being gay, maybe they aren't out to their families, maybe they are nervous about introducing their partner to their families.
I am not gay, but I am friends with a lot of people in the LGBTQ community, and after hanging around with them and learning about some of their family situations, I've learned that while some do have supportive families, some of them aren't out to their families yet, some of them don't even have families to go to. But from what I have learned, I will tell you a bit about how to survive the holidays.
One of the most important things to do is be yourself, while you may have some open-minded family members that will be understanding, some of your family may not be as open-minded. Remember that it is not your fault, it is theirs for not having an open mind, sometimes you just have to take a deep breath and let it go.
This also might be the perfect time to find allies. It might be hard but there are people in your family that aren't close-minded bigots. Find those people and open up to them and if they are good with secrets then you will be ok. Having someone in your family that you trust will really help you in the long run.
Of course, there are those who can't go home because they have been disowned by their families.
If you can't go home you can always have a Friendsgiving with some friends, you can see if any places are holding anything for Thanksgiving, you can also volunteer at a local homeless shelter. Regardless of your situation no one should ever have to spend the holidays alone.
No matter who you love, no one should be unhappy for the holidays, it is what you make of it. They always say when life gives you lemons then you make lemonade, you are loved in the world and you will survive these holidays, because of allies like me and friends, and a community you can make it through.
