A Guide for Pride!! And Debunking Myths!
A guide about the LGBTQIA+ and how one can be an ally.
Happy Pride Month !!
Pride Month is celebrated to support the LGBTQIA+ community and advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights. It is celebrated in June due to one of the most important events taking place to start a fight for the right of Queer people.
There many stigmas around this topic as many consider it to be abnormal or not real. The truth is there is scientific proof and loads of history which suggests being from this community is very normal.
Who are the people of LGBTQIA+?
About 10-11% of the world’s population identifies themselves with this category, and there may be more, but they don’t come out due to lack of support. Throughout history, being of a different orientation or gender was quite common. It wasn’t looked down upon as it is now for centuries.
For example: There have been gay cavemen of 9600 BC carved into stone.
There have been gay Pharaohs as well.
And in Indian mythology, people believe in souls, which are within a body. This also means that a female soul can lie within the male body, leading to a desire to live as a female.
A great example is Shikhandi from Mahabharata. Mahabharata is an ancient Indian epic that narrates the struggle for sovereignty between two groups of cousins, the Pandavas and the Kauravas. Shikhandi was born a female but was raised as a son taught warfare and statecraft. Shikandi was a transgender.
During the 9th day of battle, the Pandavas were distressed due to the grand warrior of Kauravas, Bhisma. To be able to defeat Bhisma, they used his morals against him. Bhishma swore never to raise his weapon on a woman. So when Shikhandi was brought onto the battlefield with Arjuna (one of the Pandavas)and Krishna, Bhisma refused to fight. Arjuna takes this chance and shoots a volley of arrows at Bhisma, and it brutally kills him.
When did Pride Month start?
During the 1950-60s, being homosexual(attraction to same gender) in the US was considered illegal, so there were many gay bars opened across America to give an open and free space for gay/ trans individuals. But many times, these bars were raided by police officers.
A similar incident occurred in Stonewall Inn, and the queer people in the bar had enough, and a riot started.
On 28 June 1969, the police raided the Stonewall Inn bar in New York City, where they arrested the bartenders and attendees for being queer.
The people had enough and started resisting the arrest and it started a riot. This is one of the most important moments in history; it started the movement to make queer rights valid.
Is being queer a choice?
Your sexual orientation is not at all a choice. It lies literally in your DNA, which determines your attraction or even gender.
Some brain scans show that people who are perhaps trans women show the same brain structure as a cisgender woman.
It is embedded in your genetics, and probably someone in your family is also queer. Even many animals are queer, like dogs, elephants, giraffes, lions, etc.
This is normal, but due to ignorance, arrogance, and the inability to educate oneself leads to unnecessary discrimination.
What is the community comprised of?
LGBTQIA+ consists of a vast number of terms:
Some are based on sexual orientation(who someone is attracted to) or gender identity.
1] Queer: It is a term used as an umbrella term for someone who considers themselves as a part of the community.
2]Lesbian: A woman who is emotionally, romantically, and sexually attracted to other women.
3] Gay: It usually refers to men who are emotionally, romantically, and sexually attracted to men, but it can be used to describe someone who is attracted to the same gender.
4]Bisexual: A person who is emotionally, romantically, or sexually attracted to more than one gender.
5]Pansexual: A person who is emotionally, romantically, and sexually attracted to someone regardless of gender identity.
6]Asexual: A person who experiences little to no sexual attraction. Some asexual individuals might still have romantic attraction.
7]Aromantic: A person who experiences little or no romantic desire or attraction.
8]Demisexual: A person who experiences sexual attraction only after forming a strong emotional bond with someone.
9]Questioning: A term for people who are exploring or unsure about their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Gender Identities
1]Cisgender: A person whose gender identity aligns with the sex they were assigned at birth.
2] Transgender: A person whose gender identity differs from the identity sex they were assigned at birth.
3]Non-binary: A person whose gender identity is not exclusively male or female. Non-binary individuals may identify as both, neither, or somewhere between.
4]Genderqueer: Similar to nonbinary, a term for gender identities that are not exclusively male or female.
5]Genderfluid: A person whose gender identity changes over time or depending on the situation.
6]Agender: A person who does not identify with any gender.
7.Bigender: A person who identifies with two distinct genders, either simultaneously or switching between them.
8]Gender Non-conforming: A person whose gender expression does not fit societal norms for the gender they were assigned at birth.
9]Intersex: A person born with physical sex characteristics that do not fit typical definitions of male or female. Intersex is about biological variations, not gender identity.
How can we help and be an ally?
Many LBGTQIA+ individuals still to this day deal with a lot of discrimination, get harassed either verbally or violently and, much more. So it is important to understand how we can help.
- Educate yourself and others: If you have read this far, then you are far ahead of most discourteous humans. Understanding the struggles and the history is the first step to help.
- Listen and Validate: Listen to LGBTQ+ people’s experiences and validate their feelings.
- Speak up against Discrimination: Challenge homophobic, transphobic, and biphobic remarks and behaviors. This can be done in both personally and professionally.
- Support LGBTQ+ organizations and create a safe space: Donate or volunteer with organizations. Create an environment to make these individuals safe and respected. Support the ones who may be struggling with their identity.
- Inclusive policies: If you’re in the position to do so, implement or advocate for inclusive policies at your workplaces, school, or organization.
A message if you might be queer?
You are your identity is valid and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
You don’t owe anyone an explanation. Neither do you need to come out especially when some are incapable of accepting and understanding, Your identity and safety matter more.
Most importantly your gender and sexuality are just a part of you, you matter as a whole individual. Those who are close-minded when it comes to this topic are not worth the time or effort.
So, Happy Pride Month! I sincerely hope you have a safe and beautiful life, no matter who you identify as.
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