Pride Month: Why It's a Big Deal

By Brooke Tideman on June 4, 2016

On May 31, 2016 President Obama made a proclamation that June 2016 is Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month. This proclamation led to an outcry from American citizens who have not yet come to accept that the LGBT+ community exists and that many of us continue to suffer from discrimination. Many citizens were asking “Why do we need some gay pride month? Is it not enough that you can get married?” The answer to that is no, and here are some reasons why.

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Discrimination

The LGBT+ community is still heavily discriminated against all over the world. In America, despite all of the progress that has been made we are still denied jobs and sometimes denied entrance to certain places. Think about that, in 2016 it is still extremely difficult for anyone who is openly from the LGBT+ community to find a job – even if we are highly qualified for it or better qualified than the other applicants. We want jobs. We deserve jobs. We should not be denied jobs because of our sexual orientation and/or gender identity. Part of why we have Pride, is so that we can show society the problems we face on a daily basis. That is why the excitement about Pride Month is so high.

Other Countries

By having Pride Month an official thing proclaimed by the President of the United States of America, we are showing countries around the world that our country supports the LGBT+ community. This stance of support and unity, helps make other countries see that being homosexual, bisexual, pansexual, transgender, asexual, and so many other things – is not a problem. It shows them that we, the members of the LGBT+ community, are not something for our countries to be ashamed of – that we are all just humans on this planet. Did you know that there are still laws in 76 countries making it illegal to be in a homosexual relationship or in a relationship with someone who is transgender? That is almost 40% of the world. People can be thrown in jail for not being a cisgender, heterosexual.

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Marriage Rights

Another huge thing about Pride, is that we want to make it known that we deserve marriage rights. We should be allowed to marry who we love. Sadly, same-sex marriage is only legal in 15 countries. That is only 7% of the world. Sure, as of 2015 same-sex marriages in America are now legally recognized by the United States government and the LGBT+ community is very happy about that – but there are too many people in the world who still cannot marry the person they love because of their genders. That is why having the President and the country’s backing on Pride Month in the United States is important. It shows other countries that we are not going away, that we are supported, and that we all deserve to marry who we love.

 

So to everyone who is upset about the President proclaiming June 2016 as LGBT Pride Month, you need to take a minute to understand that this is a pretty big deal for the community and that if you do not want to celebrate then you do not have to, but you should not sit there and complain about the fact that the struggles we face are existent and constant.

Have a Happy Pride Month!

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