06/29/2026
This one is long, but it's important.
As Pride Month comes to an end, I would like to talk about a continuing issue faced not only by Pride Temiskaming but also by many other q***r organizations, people, businesses, and pretty much everyone who shows support for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
Many comments under posts about the q***r community, whether the post is about rights or celebrating identity, reflect misunderstandings, like "If they didn't shove it in my face, I wouldn't be so angry!" "I don't need to know who they have s*x with!" or "Protect the children!"
But here's the thing: love comes in many forms, and most expressions of love are not s*xual. Q***r people should have just as much right to love and be loved as anyone else, not to mention that many q***r identities are literally for people who do NOT feel any s*xual attraction. Education is important!!
Movies, books, and TV shows often depict love through friendships, families, straight couples, and sometimes *GASP* q***r people and relationships. The goal isn't always to teach about s*x but to promote kindness, compassion, healthy relationships, and acceptance. When q***r relationships appear in content for youth, they're shown in an age-appropriate way, just like straight relationships.
No decent person, gay or straight, is trying to expose anyone, but especially children, to s*xual content. Does it happen? Unfortunately, yes. But when it does, it's because of bad people, not because someone is a part of a certain community. Being part of the q***r community does not make someone dangerous or predatory, and it's unfair and derogatory to suggest otherwise.
Another common argument I see everywhere is about gender-affirming care for youth, never mind the trans community as a whole. So let's talk about it! What many people don't realize is that gender-affirming care exists on a spectrum. The first step is often purely social: a different name, pronouns, clothing, or hairstyle. Medical interventions, for minors especially, involve extensive assessments, mental health support, and medical oversight; they are never casually handed out.
I recently watched an interview with the mother of a 9-year-old transgender child. Her daughter had only socially transitioned, and something she said has stayed with me ever since:
"I'd rather change her pronouns a million times than write her obituary."
That sentence says everything.
Whether or not you fully understand someone's identity, they are still a human being deserving of compassion, dignity, and respect. You don't have to relate to someone's experience to recognize their humanity.
Also, nothing is being "shoved in your face." You're seeing content on a public platform that exists because 2SLGBTQIA+ people exist. Seeing someone celebrate who they are isn't an attack on anyone. It's simply a reminder that the world is made up of many different kinds of people, all equally deserving of the freedom to live authentically.
Pride Month started in honour of the Stonewall Riots on June 28th, 1969. In New York in the 60s, being gay was illegal, and the safe places that q***r people created were often raided by police, and they faced constant harassment. The uprising at the Stonewall Inn lasted until July 3rd and was carried out by patrons, neighbourhood residents, and key activists, including Marsha. P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera.
Despite this event being regarded as a major turning point in the modern LGBTQIA+ civil rights movement, the q***r community continues to face challenges like discrimination, hate crimes, barriers in healthcare and employment, global inequality, and more to this day.
I'm gonna hit you with a verse from a song by the Black Eyed Peas.
"And to discriminate only generates hate. And when you hate, then you're bound to get irate. Madness is what you demonstrate, and that's exactly how hate works and operates. Man, we gotta set it straight, take control of your mind and just meditate, and let your soul just gravitate to the love."
Basically, prejudice creates a destructive cycle. The more someone cares about only their own identity, the more room they leave for discrimination, hate, and anger. Everyone has the ability to take control of their own mind and learn new things.
If you have reached a point in your life where you want to unlearn the hate, please reach out. If you are ready to listen, I am ready to help educate.
"The only thing more powerful than hate is love."
