LGBTQ+

As society becomes more advanced, more and more social groups form and become bigger. Over the years, the LGBTQ+ community has grown tremendously. More people know about all of the sexualities and genders out there, and people are feeling more accepted. Although, this community still faces animosity from others, and can struggle with accepting their sexual identity and/or gender. Today I will be going more in depth on what this social group struggles with, the differences between each individual in this group, and ways to give help and support to this community.

Pride Flags

There are many different types of people in the LGBTQ+ community. There are 30 different sexualities and 63 genders (that I know of). That’s a lot. Some people have a hard time understanding why there are so many different names for “one sexuality”. I found a comment on this website that read, “I’m sorry but a lot of these sexualities make no sense or can be condensed to being pansexual. I don’t get why people need to make 3-5 words that mean the same thing. Is it just to feel special? I’ve read the other comments here and I’m sorry but just because it makes sense to a handful of people doesn’t mean it actually makes sense.” Someone responded with, “The reason why there’s so many is because some people don’t just fall into one category. They could be bi but don’t like doing anything sexual related, so they became biromantic or stay bi and biromantic, there are more sexualities because some people don’t fall into the category so there is more so they can finally be identified.” Which is very true, if you still don’t understand then try to look at it in a different way. An example we could use is all the different shades of colors we have. Let’s take green, there is light green, dark green, lime green, and MANY other different shades of green. The reason we have different names for the same color is because all of the shades are slightly different. It’s the same thing for how that person explained bisexuality and how some people don’t feel sexually attracted to others so they label themselves as biromantic instead. There are also sexualities and genders that are more in the dark that not many people know about. Some people even feel disconnected from the LGBTQ+ community because of their sexuality or gender. One person from the same site commented “So I figured this would be a good place to vent. I identify as asexual and aromatic. But I feel like we aren’t part of the LGBTQA+ community. Because we have a lack of attraction. Sure I can admire someone and think they’re attractive, but have no sexual or romantic feelings. And I think this separates us. We aren’t straight, but we aren’t lgbt either. When someone thinks of queer, ace usually isn’t something that comes to mind. I know that the homosexuals and bisexuals and pansexuals and transgenders get discriminated more, but we are simply ignored. Maybe it’s just me, but that’s what I think.” Although the LGBTQ+ community is growing, many identities are still unknown to people who are not part of the community. Heck, even I who is someone that is part of this community still has a lot to learn because there are so many different sexualities and genders out there. But, it is important to be accepting of these people who feel like they are in the shadows and give them as much love and support as they need.

Dan Reynolds

One thing that I know that many people in the LGBTQ+ community struggle with is coming out to friends and family. It is hard to come out, even if you know that the person you are telling is not against anything LGBTQ+. People who are CISgender and straight do not experience coming out because they don’t have to, so they don’t know what it’s like to do so and have a hard time grasping on to what it feels like to come out. They don’t know the relief one feels when they are accepted or the despair when they are not. There is a quote that I love, said by Dan Reynolds, and he states, “We should make it such a normal part of our lives and communities – so that one day our youth won’t even need to feel the need to “come out.” It shouldn’t be stigmatized as something that is even a “thing” that requires special discussion. Our LGBTQ youth are tired of explaining themselves and they are at risk. We cannot stand by for one more day and let them feel like they are “sinful” or “flawed.”” Dan Reynolds also started an annual concert called LoveLoud that is held in Utah, one state that has high suicide rates of teens part of the LGBTQ+ community, that is supposed to bring people together and have them love and accept themselves for who they are. Click this video to see how LoveLoud helped a person come out to their friends and family and how they feel now. No one would ever be able to truly understand what it is like to come out unless they have done it themselves, but one thing you can do is be supportive of those who are struggling to come out to  friends and family. If I didn’t have friends to support me then it would have been a lot harder for me to come out to my mom.

Pride Parade

Sadly, there is still hate to be dealt with. A YouTuber named Mr. Atheist recently made a video about a pastor named Tommy McMurtry, part of Liberty Baptist Church, who uploaded a video sharing that him and other pastors are going to hold a conference called “Make America Straight Again” during pride week in Florida. Mr. Atheist was luckily able to get the promotion video taken down, but the conference is still going to be held in Florida. Later on, Tommy McMurtry made another video where he was making fun of Jimmy (Mr. Atheist) and saying that the way he spoke about the LGBTQ+ community was mellow compared to other people. If you watch the videos that I have provided, then you can see that, yes, Tommy McMurtry does use hate speech, and even calls for genocide towards the LGBTQ+ community. Jimmy ended up creating a website, https://www.tommymcmurtry.com/, that if searched for enough, then whenever anyone types in Tommy McMurtry, that site will show up, which the content on the site itself will make more sense if you watch the videos provided, Homophobes Attacked Me, We Clap Back (Tommy McMurtry, Liberty Baptist Church), Tommy McMurtry Liberty Baptist Church, and Pastor Tommy Seems Scared. This is something huge. This is one person trying to make a change for everyone. One person who is trying to make sure that everyone's voices are heard. I myself am part of the LGBTQ+ community. As wonderful and supportive people can be, there are also terrible terrible people out there, who would love to get rid of this social group in an instant. Your own family members will let you know loud and clear if they are against your “lifestyle” and try to put you down as much as possible. My own father, knowing that I am pansexual, told me to not read books with gay people in them, don’t draw people who are gay, and that he isn’t comfortable with their lifestyle. What some people don’t understand is that you just, are. You can’t just turn off your attraction towards a gender, it doesn’t work like that, and it’s not wrong either. You are allowed to like who you like, and one day we will be equal to everyone else. It will take a lot of time, but we can’t give up. We will get there. And we are growing, we are accomplishing more and more. There are politicians who are transgender, people are allowed to hold hands and kiss in public without getting arrested in many states now. We are getting there, we just have to keep going.

The LGBTQ+ community still has a ways to go. There is still hate out there, and there will probably always be hate out there, but more and more people are starting to support this community. More and more people are feeling comfortable for being who they are. Support your friends and family, find ways to help this community. Allow us to all be equal. Help us get to a time where, like Dan Reynolds said, we don’t need to come out. We just, are.