2021 PRIDE is coming to an end. For many of us, the celebrations quiet, the protests weaken, and we go back to life as usual. But does it have to be that way? Could every day be a day full of PRIDE? After all, what is PRIDE, if not visibility of the nearly 18 million people that live next door, down the street, or across the way? Members of the LGBTGEQIAP+ community have always been here. It is essential that we are seen, heard, understood, and valued because it takes all of us to make a family, friendship, community, or company successful. 

The New York City PRDE theme for 2021 is “The Fight Continues.” With so many people identifying as members of the LGBTGEQIAP+ community, why must we continue fighting? The answer comes in the lived experience of those:

• Abandoned by family members

• Bullied in school

• Fired from their jobs

• Blocked from forming families

• Disallowed to go to the bathroom aligns with their gender identity

• Or worse yet, those who die because they are simply living openly and honestly

The fight continues because our kids need us to continue the fight so that they continue to live. According to the Human Rights Campaign, our LGBTGEQIAP+ kids experience significant symptoms of depression. In this same study, these kids report hearing their elders make disparaging remarks about people who are just like them. They go to school, look around, and believe that very few teachers support their experience and discover that school policies can often put them in danger. (By the way: School administrators, please stop using the term “appropriate” when you mean “expected.”)

Many LGBTGEQIAP+ kids are more likely to think about suicide and attempt suicide at a greater rather than their cisgender, heterosexual counterparts. The experience of verbal abuse and bullying can often lead these kids to hurt themselves more too. The numbers are even higher for racial and ethnic minority kids. 

Why do we do this to ourselves when we don’t have to? As a parent, friend, neighbor, teacher, politician, government employee, and religious leader, you can take time to understand the lived experiences of others. We can see, hear, understand, and value every person for who they are and the contributions they make because everyone has something to contribute. You can be a part of “the fight continues” by taking time to support others on their journey. 

With your help, the fight continues so that we can all feel safe, experience enduring relationships with family and friends, and grow into productive adults who can raise their own families. The fight continues because it is in this fight that equality is realized. It is through this fight that we can be a better us. 

Happy 2021 PRIDE. Keep fighting!