It’s been nearly eleven years since the United States Supreme Court required all 50 states to allow and recognize same-sex marriage – though many states had already begun to allow it in the preceding few years. In June 2015, I had recently come out, and that ruling and the celebration of it marked the moment where I no longer felt like I had to hide, and where I really felt like I was part of a community.
I was very lucky to grow up in an accepting area, just outside Los Angeles, California. But despite the overall progressive attitudes in the area I grew up in, homophobia in the early 2000s and 2010s was still rampant, and spreading rumors about someone’s sexuality was a common favorite pastime of schoolyard bullies. And even though acceptance for LGBTQ+ people has grown significantly over the past few decades, there’s still a long way to go. The transgender community, in particular, has been the target of a lot of hatred over the past few years. But every year in June, when I see pride flags in windows, or flying on flagpoles in the city, or as filters on people’s profile photos online, I feel that same sense of community that I felt during my first Pride Month after coming out, back in 2015.
Now more than ever I am thankful for my community and that sense of solidarity. This year, I’ve also been very heartened by the acts of allyship, big and small, that I’ve seen. For me, Pride Month has again and again been a source of inspiration, hope, and connection.
Happy Pride!
