What does PRIDE MONTH mean? Is it a Parade just to diss straight people? Is it about elevating a gay life above a straight life? Perhaps it’s about “deviant God haters” flaunting Satanism and low morals according to some little Church out there?

Well, not for me and for so many others.

Pride Month is about survival against terrible odds.

We grew up knowing we were different.

Almost every day many of our own family members were distressed by the difference. They lectured us; humiliated us and tried to change us. Or even worse, we lived in fear that our family would notice we were different. So we conformed, hid, struggled and cowered.

At school, no matter what we did, we lived an oppressed life. Either people suspected and relentlessly bullied us…or we “acted and lied,” desperate to fit in…often hurting others with falsehoods as we just tried to survive.

And even as we became comfortable in our skin – bigots, police, politicians – every day they told us, “you are less.” From “you can get arrested for congregating,” to you “deserve” AIDS, to “don’t ask, don’t tell,” to “you can’t marry your partner,” to “you have no rights,” to now this new and hideous onslaught on transgender people, HIV vaccines, removing LGBTQ info from government websites….it’s a gauntlet. It’s a challenge.

We’ve been the whipping post scapegoats of a frightened for no reason population since Rome fell. People who aren’t taught to disregard variances in people by either religion or government have chosen to abuse us since Western Civilization rose.

As a smaller percentage of the population, people forget that we’ve been attacked by every religion – Jews, Christians, Islam – it matters not. We are ancient text, cherry picked for hatred, by people that are called out in the texts right before us.

As a minority, one would think we could ally with fellow minorities, yet one of our most determined adversaries is the African American church. As well as many other Christian denominations and other faiths and countless skin colors.

When Conservatives are losing in elections, they drag us out to win those elections. We are equated with abortion and child molestation, even though we don’t have many children and the overwhelming majority of child abuse comes from straight people.

We are accused of having an agenda. But when looked at, we simply want to live our lives in peace, make a living, get married if we desire, raise a family, go to the movies, buy some shoes.

For many of us, just being alive is enough for a lot of PRIDE. We survived through decades of absolute torment (often by well wishing now adults that choose to forget how they acted in adolescence). We survived disappointed parents. We survived horrific school bullying. We survived threatening politicians and condemning churches we thought welcomed us. Some of us survived attempts on our lives.

But we survived. And we deserve our PRIDE. And for that…for me…and for all of my LGBTQ+ family….I am quiet and deservedly PROUD. – Will, Houston

What’s your Pride story? Let us know! Send an e-mail to charles@personalstoriesproject.org to share yours!

#PrideMonth #PersonalStories