Some may argue that things are better today for LGBTQ people than they were in the past. I know from my own experience how hard it was growing up gay in the '80s, and to me things do feel better today — more tolerant and overall more accepting. But even today, even in California, and even here in Santa Barbara County, people are still bullied, demeaned, threatened, and harassed because of their gender identity and/or sexual orientation. We celebrate LGBTQ Pride as a way of counteracting the attacks and negativity that so many of us feel every day. LGBTQ Pride is a necessary antidote to the hate, bullying, and antagonism that is thrust upon LGBTQ people from an early age.
Among the public comments regarding the City of Goleta's LGBTQ Pride Month Proclamation on June 6 was, "Shame on you ... Shame on the Mayor and City Council for embracing extreme elements" and for "pandering to groomers." Shame on us? Shame on us for standing up against hate, intolerance, and bigotry? Shame on us for acknowledging the dignity and humanity of our community members? Shame on us for working to create a community in which each and every one of us is valued?
It's no surprise that the word "shame" is used against us. Shame is how LGBTQ people have been taught to feel — it's how we're expected to feel. We've been told to keep in the closet, to hide, to not flaunt it. We've been taught to feel that being LGBTQ is shameful, and that it ought to be kept secret.