Pride

Today it's Glasgow Pride. I have never been to a pride. I don't really know why. Maybe the idea of seeing anyone I've ever dated all in one place is a scary prospect. Joking aside, the reason for this post is to celebrate Pride. In the horrible world that we live in, it's important to always champion a celebration of equality and acceptance, where for one day at least, we can vow to never let prejudice stop us from loving who we want to love and also importantly just have fun. Pride is an event full of heart and the best intentions but despite this, one question always, and I mean always pops up, and it is “why do we need pride?”

Nobody is stranger to the horrible stories we hear so regularly about homophobic abuse. It wasn't that long ago that the devastating Orlando shooting happened. You hear stories far too often from different parts of the world where an individual has been killed for being gay, being suspected of being gay or doing something considered too gay. Gay teenagers all over the world have taken their own life because they couldn't live their lives accepted in their sexuality. This has to stop, but it hasn't. The fact that people are so judged or feel so judged that it results in their life ending is horrifying, and all because they love people of the same sex. There is an attitude from some people who say by celebrating pride, we are acknowledging our difference and making the situation worse, so we should just be silent and get on with our lives. Being silent about prejudice never helped anyone. Being silent lets homophobia rot, fester and infect minds, who could grow up being more accepting individuals and not grow up to be homophobic humans who go out to destroy love in it's different forms. We need to constantly re-iterate the mantra that being gay is okay and being gay shouldn't affect your life negatively. Pride lets us do that, by coming together in an parade of colour, not leaving an colour out of the celebration, because no one should be excluded from loving who they want to love.

Being accepting of the lgbtqia community doesn't mean you have to be gay or gay-er. It doesn't mean you have to wave a rainbow flag. It doesn't even mean you have to go to pride at all or even acknowledge the event is happening where you live, to be perfectly honest. All being accepting is, is respecting people regardless of their sexuality, and treating them just like everybody else, just like you would like to be treated. That's it. That's all it is. Unfortunately though, even that is too difficult or absurd a concept for some people, who continually discriminate or abuse people in the lgbtqia community.

For people who haven't received prejudice for their sexuality, imagine how you would feel if you couldn't even show love for your other half openly without fear of being abused or killed. Imagine how you would feel if you couldn't even dress how you want to dress without fear of being abused or killed. Imagine how you would feel if you couldn't even hold someone's hand or give them a kiss without fear of being abused or killed. Imagine how you would feel if you couldn't even say I'm gay or I'm straight without fear of being abused or killed. This fear is real, and there is no need to imagine it.

The whole point of pride is to be big, loud and colourful in protest against people who believe we shouldn't have the same rights and shouldn't be treated equally. If you see a pride event going on, then know that it means there is still so much prejudice against the community happening. Support pride, even if it's just in the smallest way, then maybe one day we won't need to campaign for equal rights every single year. Wherever you are in Glasgow, the UK, the world, remember to just let people love who they want to love and treat them equally, then there will be no need for pride because we will already be proud