Pride

I suppose I should begin at the beginning with this. It has been some time since I deigned to post here at all, however I am using the account as a launchpad for something interesting. I realise I could easily have posted something lengthy on Twitter, however I don't believe I would do myself much justice. 

The amateur sleuths among you may have already worked out what I intend to write about and I shall do so with great celerity. It is something to which I have given some thought recently and as tomorrow is the start of Pride Month, I believed the timing of this article to be apposite. 

In the past few years, Pride Month has had me scuttling for the duvet in alarm. I must confess to receiving the 1st of June with some dread and indeed irritation. I had come to associate Pride Month and all it entails with me simply being reduced to one facet of my personality. I realise that for some having a spoon in the alphabet soup is the only thing that defines them and that further increased my feelings of alienation. I am not that sort of person at all, my sexuality does not define me exclusively and I do not expect it to govern every facet of my life. 

I am aware of the immense privilege being a gay man in the UK carries. I live in a fairly tolerant society, I am married to the person of my choosing and have few restrictions on my career advancement. This is probably why I have given so little thought to Pride Month and indeed can be contributing factor to my revulsion for it. I am entirely aware of the upheaval underway in the section of society I partly inhabit; namely how to continue to ensure that our trans brothers and sisters remain valued and included. I know this is a highly controversial subject and not one on which I intend to dwell in this post much longer. 

It is of that privilege I wish to talk further. Many of us will have had some sort of negative reaction to the present legislation passed earlier this year in Uganda. Homosexuality continues to be repressed in many parts of the world through various means. In Uganda the crime of simply loving another person of the same sex has been wrongly conflated with other social evils on which we still frown in the West. To be locked up merely for being helplessly attracted to another person of the same sex is anathema to us and I cannot imagine being in that situation. I know I have mentioned Uganda, however The Human Dignity Trust have published a map of many other nations across the globe in which to be LGBT remains a criminal offence. It is true there are other countries in which it is still culturally unacceptable to be LGBT and they too deserve to have a spotlight shone on them. One name which one can invariably reach for with some accuracy is Russia. It is interesting to see that while Russia has not outlawed homosexuality at the federal level, it has placed many limitations on LGBT+ people and in using Equaldex one can see how it compares to other European nations. 

How can we help, therefore? What exactly can we do? I think that the Pride marches which take place around the globe do serve an important purpose in reminding all people that LGBT+ people exist, however more can and should be done. We have social media and that is a useful platform, however I would also urge each and every one of you to write to your representatives to continue to raise questions and issues in your legislative houses. Many political parties have an LGBT+ group active within them; some of us in the UK may have an MP who is either a member or patron of these organisations. We can write to the embassies of those nations who restrict or criminalise their LGBT+ citizens and ask them to consider the harmful nature of their laws. We are productive members of society and deserve the respect that brings. We can research those companies whose owners/founders (if they are still currently in control of the organisation) who may have anti-LGBT views and boycott them. I realise some may already do this daily regardless of what month it is. However, it is still worth highlighting. 

We can all make a difference, no matter how small. We need to remind ourselves that human progress can only be effective if we live in open, tolerant societies. Changing cultures is difficult, but in doing so it is far easier to help change minds.