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JAMESTOWN, NY (WNY News Now) – June 1st marks the beginning of Pride month, a time dedicated to commemorating the LGBTQIA+ community. While for many, this is a time of celebration, some are using this month as a way to clear the air about what Pride really means.
Some LGBTQIA+ community members are utilizing Pride month to spread awareness about their everyday struggles, and hopefully alleviate some miscommunication.
“There’s a lot of things that are misunderstood about our community. I think Pride month is very important to give us a platform to show those things and be ourselves, to show ‘hey, we’re not scary and there’s no reason to hate us,” explained LGBTQIA+ community member Mochi Dahlin.
“They just want to be who they are, they don’t want to force you into anything, they don’t want to force children into anything, they just want to be who they are,” LGBTQIA+ community member Joshua Robbins said. “Gay couples, they want to be able to go on the street and hold hands or kiss just like a ‘regular’ couple does and that’s all they really want, they just want rights.”
Community member Austin Carroll believes that queer representation in the media has no negative impact on viewers.
“There wasn’t legal marriage, it wasn’t on T.V., it wasn’t anywhere, and we are still gay. I came from a very semi-conservative household and there definitely wasn’t anything gay in that house, no one indoctrinated me into being a pansexual male,” said LGBTQIA+ community member Austin Carroll.
“We’re allowing the world to know we exist, and it’s not about them and trying to show them that they can be queer, it’s that these are things that they are already going to struggle with, there are already gay kids. They’re gay before you even know, before they even know what gay means,” said Dahlin.
Despite fear and anxieties surrounding Pride month, those within the community recognize its importance.
“It’s so much more than just a label and I think that’s part of the miscommunication with Pride is that this is just a label and everyone is jumping on the hype train. Take that time to learn yourself and love yourself and figure out who you are, even if that changes 10 years down the road, life is a journey, just ride it,” Dahlin explained.
“It’s a scary time but you gotta try to stay positive on it, and hope that the world will change its views eventually,” Robbins said. “Treat everybody like a human being because that’s what we are, we’re just human.”
Pride month will last the duration of June, with some local events taking place throughout the month such as Jamestown Pride Fest that will be held in downtown Jamestown sometime this month.
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