See, when a guy yells at a girl OH MAMA I WANNA EAT YOUR ASS, he’s coming out of the closet. As a jerk and a douchebag who shouldn’t be out in public, mostly, but as a straight person too. When your coworker comes back from holidays and shows you the pictures where she poses with her husband and kids, she’s asserting her heterosexuality. When a stranger in a bar answers the phone and goes crazy with joy, shouting “my wife is pregnant, finally”, he’s confirming his straightness to every person a mile around.

Now, staying in the closet… that shit is hard.

Staying in the closet means not being able to join the coffee-machine circle, out of fear you might spill a word more than was necessary. It means not being able to talk about your loving husband, your beautiful wife. It means not being able to ask for a day off if your significant other falls sick. It means not holding their freaking hand in public, because someone could see.

Staying in the closet means not being able to take your boyfriend of three years to a christmas dinner, while your sister takes her boyfriend of two weeks there. Staying in the closet means living a lie.

It is not about who we fuck with.

It never was. Being a part of the LGBT community is not about bumping uglies. It is not only about fucking and partying and dancing. It is about who you share your life with. It’s about who you can’t share your life with, for fear of reprisals. Is about asking for the love and respect of our loved ones, our mates, our friends. Is about being respected for who you are, without that respect being besmirched for your gender identity or your sexual orientation. It’s about being proud of yourself.

Let’s talk about Pride

Some people still think there’s no reason to be proud of liking one gender or another, and truth be told, there’s none. Pride, the LGBT Pride, is not about being proud of who you like to bump uglies with.

It’s about being who you are, proudly. It’s about saying who and what you are proudly, without fear, without shame. It’s about shouting to the world that you’re here and that you’re not going to go gently into the cold night.

And yes, we need the parade. We need it because we live in a hostile world, a world that does not want us, that does not love us. We need it because we need to celebrate that, despite that hostile world that seeks to harm us…

We are still alive

For that, and in honor of all the people who aren’t alive anymore. For the victims of Pulse. For the gay guys in Chechnya. For all the lil boys and girls, cis and trans, who are bullied to suicide.

For them, we’re going to shout that much louder.

Stay safe. Be proud. Be yourself. I love you.