June is LGBTQ Pride month. I am not a member of this courageous community, but I am an ally.
There is so much hate in this world, and while it is pretty evenly spread out, a lot of it is dedicated to the LGBTQ community. From ruthless beatings of couples walking down the street, to hate crimes that end with casualties, the LGBTQ community has become nothing short of a war zone, with one side wielding guns and the other wielding love. There is no reason for this form of bigotry. The individuals in this community are doing something that everyone does; they are being themselves. But, for some reason, people have a problem with that.
But what if — like, just entertain this idea — it doesn’t affect you.
Who a person loves and marries, what a person does to their body, and how a person feels about themselves does not affect how you go about your daily life. You will still wake up in your big comfy bed, you will still go to school or work, you will still come home and make a delicious dinner — you will still do everything that you usually do in the same way you have always done. You will still inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. Your heart will still beat the steady rhythm in your chest. The only difference is that you might see two men holding hands, or a woman kissing her wife goodbye as she heads to work, or a person who is in the middle of their transition from male to female. You can choose to use your energy to spew hate towards them, or you could be indifferent, or you could choose to celebrate that they made one of the hardest choices imaginable — they chose to be who they are, even if it’s not popular in the public eye.
You have so much energy to devote to all the different aspects of life. You can choose to spend your energy hating or loving a specific aspect, but I promise that you will get so much more out of life if you choose to love rather than hate, especially if it is something that doesn’t affect your daily life.
It’s sad that at the beginning of this article, I had to describe the LGBTQ community as courageous just for simply being themselves. But that’s what they are — courageous and brave individuals with a story to tell. Some live with the fear that if they walk outside or go to a nightclub, there will be violence and even the possibility of being senselessly murdered. Some are afraid to tell their parents that they are a part of the LGBTQ community because they fear that their own family will persecute them. They struggle with who they are on a daily basis. They don’t need you adding kindling to the fire that is already too high.
Imagine walking outside with your significant other and being approached by someone who then beats you within an inch of your life, all while they spew homophobic slurs at you. You might not see it happen often — but it does. Imagine being kicked out of your own home at the age of 15 because your parents couldn’t fathom the idea of you being a part of the LGBTQ community and no longer love you because of it.
As an ally, I want to tell the LGBTQ Community this: I stand with you. I will hold you steady when the hate becomes overbearing. I will be your shoulder to lean on when you feel that you cannot stand on your own. I will do my best to understand everything that you go through. I will grieve with you when hate crimes take the life of someone in your community. I will welcome you with open arms where other people would turn you away. I am your ally. Together, we will build a world that is stronger than hate.
Because love wins.
