Posted on June 1st, 2025.
Often loathed by conservatives, Pride Month refers to the month where the LGBTQ+ community comes together to celebrate their diversity and non-conformance to the heteronormative patriarchy. Coming from a gay teenager, here are some reasons why we need such a month from a personal vision.
Coming out, to me, is how I express and finally free myself from the assumption that everyone is straight. In a society where being straight is the default, I feel invalidated and misunderstood. No one would like it if everyone else thought of something that was false about them. Yet, it's not the easiest thing ever to just step in and say, "I am gay!" No one wants to risk social exclusion, so you end up with deep suffering and an annoying questioning of your identity.
I face a higher risk of violence just because I'm gay [1]. On top of the statistics, add the fact that my reports of violence are more likely to be taken not seriously because of homophobia, and consider how we are afraid to report violence because we might struggle with social exclusion and hatred.
I have a risk of rejection by my family if they found out that I was gay, so I have to hide it. It's not the best experience to disguise a part of your identity from your closest ones who raised you. They'll assume you develop crushes on the opposite gender, marry one in the future, and try to impress them, but no, you're not even close to that - that's not you. If my family ever heard of my sexual orientation, maybe I'd get disowned or tried to be convinced that's not me or how they raised me. Even the most "progressive" families might struggle accepting their children when they find out their child is "one of them."
Some countries still give the death penalty to homosexuality [2].
I can't get married to someone I love in the future if I wanted to as my country and many others haven't legalized gay marriage [3], while my straight counterparts can, without this fundamental struggle. Being gay is frowned upon and seen as a disorder when you're not even particularly hurting anyone or yourself, but the society is explicitly hating you for something you neither chose to be nor had control over - sexual and romantic attraction. It feels painful in many ways to be misunderstood and having your reality denied. You cannot express who you like, have romantic interactions with another gay person, display public affection, like hold hands or kiss, or have your relationship legalized with benefits through marriage, while straight people hardly experience any of these challenges because of their identity, because they are straight.
"Conversion therapy" is ineffective and brings with it a risk of suicide, and in some cases, rape to convert the person [4]. No, you cannot change someone's sexual orientation. Sexual orientation can only change on its own if it ever does. No one will choose to be gay, especially in a homophobic society, and deny their feelings of attraction - it's at best a harmless journey of exploration. You can't "promote homosexuality."
One example, Alan Turing, the father of computers, was arrested for confessing to a police officer that he'd had a relationship with another man, and later, he was provided chemical castration and ended up committing suicide [5].
Gay people have always existed throughout history. Back then, it was harder to live as a gay person, so most had to hide it. As more people started existing and a growing awareness and acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community emerged, we are finally seeing more people come out as they wish to.
To sum it all up, the Pride Month exists because the LGBTQ+ community faces hatred, violence, assault, and rejection because of who they are, and this month is how we display our resistance against homophobia and spread validation, representation, and a sense of solidarity to help other LGBTQ+ people feel valid and at terms with their identity. Having focused on my own, relatively privileged experiences, I emphasize that one must be aware that some communities have it worse, and oppression is intersectional. Trans people, people of color, and women all have their oppressions combined with multiple parts of their identities. It's important that we all are united against hatred, heteronormativity, and the patriarchy.