Pride is Prejudiced

Isn’t it ironic, on how we associate the word “pride” to the LGBTQia community, with the society we live in? Does PRIDE even begin to describe the struggles they go through, in order to have the bare minimum respect of a human, in the environment we live in?

We celebrate every June as Pride month, but does it even make sense to celebrate for 30 days, and to curse them, or look down to them, for the rest 335? Why do we look down to them? Because of their sexual orientation? Or “it is unnatural”? Who decides all of this, and why are we ruling judgements and giving out verdicts for other people’s lives?

I remember the day Section 377 got abolished. I celebrated it with equal joy, not because I had any personal connection to it, but for all those people, who have been suffocating themselves under the societal pressure. I felt proud to belong from an era where the country was progressing towards a more accepting tomorrow.

But did the removal of Section 377 made an impact on the thought process of the society? NO. How many of us, our friends, cousins, acquaintances still have to go through problems like renting apartments, going to the market, hanging out with friends?

People do not have basic rights, because they are someone who’s preferences are “unacceptable”? It is not even a deliberate decision. It the WAY YOU ARE BORN. Have you given one second to the thought, how difficult it is to “come out of the closet”? Although being legal in the court of law, the society still stamps it as an “immoral” act.

Society is still a secondary aspect, but what about their own families? Parents & relatives treat their child as “untouchable”, or as if he/ she has developed some kind of “mental disease”. Why is man-woman alright, but man-man, woman-woman not?

Homophobia has taken over the society so much that we have forgotten that these people are as human as we are. Stereotypes including certain body gestures, chromosomal aberrations, preference of attire, tone/pitch of voice, level of enthusiasm, have led to people disgracing them.

For people who don’t know,

LGBTQia stands for, it is

L- Lesbian (woman-woman)

G- Gay (man-man)

B- Bisexual (woman-man & woman, man- man & woman)

T- Transgender (expression doesn’t match the sex they are born with)

Q- Queer (Pejorative term used to define ‘not heterosexual’ individuals)

The society also keeps a view of being scared of them. Did it cross your minds, on how you might’ve treated them “differently” or violently at first, and how them retaliating is not right, but justified? Is it really difficult to comprehend their reaction? And that neither of them meant to harm, but the society forced them into it, where they had to do what they did, to defend themselves?

It is already an immense burden on them to tell people about how they feel, in the fear of being treated differently, and in addition to that pressure, they are being tortured?

We need to eradicate the mindset of them being “different” than us in a negative way, only then would would the word PRIDE being associated with them is justifiable.

Heterosexuality is not normal, it is just common, and that doesn’t make the LGBTQ community “wrong”.

It is time we normalise homosexuality & bisexuality, and give out respect to them that they have always deserved, and instead of belittling them, we help them with the traumas, or struggles that they go through.

It is US vs US, and it needs to end, so LGBTQia! (Let’s Get Better Together without Questioning)

Happy Pride Month!