Pride Month, although once exclusively celebrated by the LGBTQIA community, has now been thrust into the mainstream due to the increasing acceptance of LGBTQIA people. Ever since same-sex marriage was made legal at the federal level in 2013, LGBTQIA people have been able to truly discover the same misery as straight married couples. And you really know something made it in American society when it can be marketed by 7-11, hence the rise of gay pride merch and various ice creams.
But while most normal people (and legit Christians) are more than happy to let these folks celebrate Pride Month, pretend people like Florida Governor Ron Desantis and Rep. Marjorie Greene (R-GA) spread hate, misinformation, and conspiracy theories that play to the lowest common denominator.
Governor Desantis is so hell-bent on “owning the libs” that the dude essentially raised property taxes on Florida residents to screw over Disney and their rejection of his anti-LGBTQIA legislation. Indeed, Republican politicians seem so awfully determined to take our country back to the 1600s, totally disregarding the fact that LGBTQIA people pay taxes as well. (And, more importantly, are humans who deserve all the benefits and protections every old, straight, white male receives under the U.S. Constitution.)
But even if many Republican reps are a nasty pile of raw sewage who do anything and everything for straight, rich, and white people, not every conservative person is such a raging asshole. For example, if you’re gay and have conservative parents, they really may just not know what Pride is all about. So that’s why we created a guide to explaining Pride Month to your conservative parents.
Cover Photo: Anastassiya Bezhekeneva (Getty Images)
The Mandatory Guide to Explaining Pride to Your Super Conservative Parents
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1. The Rainbow Flag Is Not Replacing the American Flag
Even though your super conservative parents most likely do not know proper American flag etiquette (and may even have Blue Lives Matter flags), they might want to know what the rainbow flag means: a representation of all people of different gender and sexual identities. Moreover, it is not trying to replace the actual American flag.
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2. Pride Started After a Riot
In the summer of 1969, police raided the Stonewall Inn, a bar located in New York City’s Greenwich Village that served as a haven for the city’s gay, lesbian and transgender community.
At the time, homosexual acts remained illegal in every state except Illinois, and bars and restaurants could get shut down for having gay employees or serving gay patrons. Most gay bars and clubs in New York at the time (including the Stonewall) were operated by the Mafia, who paid dirty cops to look the other way and blackmailed wealthy gay patrons by threatening to “out” them.
Police raids on gay bars were common, but on that particular night, members of the city’s LGBTQIA community decided to fight back—sparking an uprising that would launch a new era of resistance and revolution. This is the origin of Pride.
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3. That's My Partner, Not My 'Good Friend'
While many conservative parents of gay children come to accept their kids' identities, there exist holdouts who still believe that the plus-one showing up at every freaking family event is just their child's "good friend." So let them know that this "good friend" accompanying them to Pride is actually their partner.
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4. Dudes Wearing Make-Up Are Not the Devil
Even though Donald Trump basks in orange make-up everyday, your conservative parents probably think guys wearing make-up is some sort of satanic thing. Let them know that it just means they don't care about gender roles.
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5. A Bear Is Not What You Think It Is
The thing about the LGBTQIA movement is that it encompasses a wide varity of different folks. One of the subsets of gay men is called "bears," for obvious reasons. You may want to inform your conservative parents that you won't be marching alongside actual grizzly bears.
