Pride for me represents the freedom of being and expressing who you are. We were raised believing that being different was wrong – but that was completely wrong. We do not decide what sexual orientation we are born with; we also don’t have the capacity to change it. Why being ashamed of how God created us? We are amazing human beings that have virtues and defects like everyone else. We have love in our hearts, and we should never feel ashamed of who we are.

Pride is basically standing out for our community and showing how proud we are of who we are. I came out when I was 16 years old. It was easy for me to express it to my parents since I never felt ashamed or bad about being gay. At first, it was hard for my parents; they were shocked and angry about it, but after a few years it got way better. Nowadays they are very supportive of me and I can talk to them about everything I want, and I mean EVERYTHING.

I thank God for blessing me with such good parents. God created me this way and I believe there is a reason for it. I have always been a man of faith. I have also never felt that God loved me less or that he would stop loving me for being gay.

I wish more LGBTQ people could experience God’s love the way I do. It is amazing how I have always felt and experienced his love and support throughout my life.

Thank you for reading my story. Happy Pride 2023!

– Pablo, San Bernardino CA

We want to hear from YOU, our community members. What’s YOUR Pride story ? CLICK HERE (opens a new window) to learn how to share yours! #PrideMonth2023 #PersonalStories