Pride

This past month, June, is Gay Pride Month throughout the United States. Most major cities host gay pride parades and festivals and there are numerous “gay days” with various organizations such as Disney World, Worlds of Fun, Cedar Point and some Major League Baseball teams (i.e. Night OUT with the Nationals). These events are meant to be a fun, safe place to celebrate individuality. The gay pride events are not exclusively for LGBT folk, but also for gay allies.

This year, I attended both Capital and Baltimore Pride festivals. I was exhausted (because I had to work both weekends), but I had a great time. This was my first year at Capital Pride (which hosts an extensive parade and is the third largest Pride festival in the US) and my second at Baltimore (which is much more laid-back than Capital, but so much fun!).

Even though Pride is an exciting and somewhat chaotic event, there is still an emotional attachment of community and acceptance throughout the weekend. At Capital Pride, I was mostly struck by PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) because there is something so beautiful about family members not only accepting but welcoming and exclaiming that they love their child/parent/sibling despite sexual orientation.

Watching the PFLAG group march together, I got a little choked up. It made me think of three separate individuals that I know (and love) in my life that have not received the familial support that they need and deserve. I want to tell their stories, but will not mention names, as I have not obtained permission and do not want to “out” anyone.

Coming out to your family must be hard, but one of my friends was so brave when she finally decided to do it. She came out to her sister first, who acted a bit shocked, but overall accepting and loving and who pushed her to come out to her parents as well. When she finally did (and she did it with so much bravery), she was met with discontent and hatred. She even left the household for a bit to regain her confidence and allow her parents to settle before she moved back in. And even now, her sexuality is denied (she talks about having to “re-come back out” if she starts dating again). Even though she is a strong, brave girl, she still needs and deserves the same acceptance and welcoming from her parents that she received from her sister.

Another friend is one I have known for years. She came out to me about five years ago and recently (within the past three months) came out to her conservative mother who said that she was “a disappointment”. This is not okay. This girl has a beautiful, fun personality, but feels as if she is less than that. She doesn’t know if she should bring the topic up again for fear of upsetting her mother, when all she deserves is acceptance.

Finally, coming from a conservative family has completely blocked another friend from ever considering coming out to her family. She is scared of the reprecussion of telling her family that she is something that they disapprove of (especially because it seems that she has been working for their approval for a very long time). I hope that someday she will be able to find the comfort and love from her family.

All of these girls’ stories deserve to be told and acknowledged. All of these girls have had to face adversity (whether in their families or within themselves). If you have a friend or family member who is LGBT, please let them know that they are important to you, in whichever way they need to hear it.

-Ann Marie

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