It’s Pride Month—and We’re Still Fighting for Our Lives

It’s Pride Month. Again.

And once again, I find myself standing at the edge of this same battlefield, beating the same tired horse, raising the same exhausted banner—because apparently, the bigots just. won’t. quit.

They’ve dusted off their MAGA hats and their WWJD lanyards, ready to scream that Pride is evil, sinful, demonic.

And yet—ask those same people if they’re proud of their faith?
“Oh absolutely.”

Proud of their president?
“You’re damn right I am.”

Proud of their country?
“Best in the world.”

You see, pride isn’t the issue.
Who is celebrating it is.

Let’s stop playing nice and call this what it is: They don’t hate pride. They hate the gays.

Because here’s the truth: the attacks aren’t just cultural anymore.
They are legal, systemic, and violent.

Over 500 anti-LGBTQIA+ bills have been introduced across the U.S. in the past year alone.

• Trans youth are being denied life-saving healthcare.
• Educators are being fired for displaying rainbow stickers.
• Drag performers are being criminalized.
• Books with queer characters are being banned from libraries.
• And queer families are being stripped of legal protections and basic dignity.

The President Is Erasing Pride Month

As if that’s not enough, the current President of the United States, Donald Trump, has chosen to erase Pride Month by officially declaring June to be “Nuclear Family Awareness Month.”

That’s not a coincidence.
That’s not neutrality.
That’s a deliberate erasure of LGBTQIA+ visibility. It’s a direct attack on our families, our identities, and our lives.

As if the only families worth celebrating are the ones that fit neatly inside their 1950s fantasy mold.
As if chosen family, adoptive families, queer parents, or loving same-gender couples somehow don’t count.
As if visibility is dangerous—but their ideology isn’t.

This isn’t just erasure. It’s a warning shot.

This Hate Is Deadly

We would be fools not to take this seriously.

This hatred isn’t theoretical. It’s not just political theater.
It’s real. It’s personal. And it’s deadly.

Look no further than the devastating, hate-fueled murder of Jonathan Joss—a beloved Native actor best known for voicing John Redcorn on King of the Hill.

He was brutally killed. And while the full details are still unfolding, one thing is clear:
A queer Indigenous man is gone.
Another light extinguished far too soon.
And the silence from the people who scream “All Lives Matter” is deafening.

Pride Is Sacred

This is why we march.
This is why we shout.
This is why we celebrate.

Pride is not just a party. Pride is a protest. Pride is protection. Pride is power.

To every ally reading this:
Now is not the time for rainbow logos.
Now is not the time to post a quote and log off.
Now is the time to act. Loudly. Relentlessly. Unapologetically.

How to Show Up as an Ally

• 📣 Use your voice. Shut down bigotry when you hear it. Say the uncomfortable truth in rooms where we aren’t safe to say it ourselves.
• 📚 Educate yourself. Don’t put the burden of explanation on queer folks. Learn. Read. Listen. Grow.
• 💸 Donate. Give to queer-led organizations that provide shelter, legal help, and suicide prevention. These groups save lives.
• 🏳️‍🌈 Attend Pride. Show up at rallies. Write your lawmakers. Make noise. Visibility matters. Advocacy matters more.
• 🛑 Challenge your spaces. If your church, school, or family table is not safe for queer people—it’s not safe, period.
• 💬 Start small. Reach out. Ask queer friends how they’re doing. Believe them. Show up for their pain, not just their party.

To the LGBTQIA+ Community

You are not what’s wrong with the world.
You are what’s beautiful about it.

You are sacred.
You are chosen.
You are celebrated.
You are loved.

You are not a mistake.
You are a miracle.

To the Bigots and the Fearful

You don’t get to redefine family.
You don’t get to steal this month.
You don’t get to shame us into silence.

Pride is louder than your fear.
And we will not go quietly.

Happy Pride

Now rise up.
Speak out.
And fight like hell for the people still in danger.