Welcome to the 21^st century where you can be whoever or whatever you want to be with an overwhelming tide of support from society. Before we divulge into this idea, we cannot discredit the amount of oppression and persecution so many still face in our society today. One particular group that we have seen battling these struggles are the members of the LGBTQ+ community. This group has certainly come a long way from previous generations when expressing feelings aloud such as “I love you” to a person of the same sex meant excommunication from one’s family or community. Just a few years ago, in 2015, New York state legalized same-sex marriage. This was a huge milestone for the community. Supporters and members flooded the streets of NYC at the Pride Parade, marching from block to block to participate to show their support and jubilation. Since 1970, NYC has hosted a pride parade in commemoration for the struggle the LGBTQ+ community has gone through for decades.³ This event has given the people of the community and their supporters a day to let go of the stresses of their everyday lives and just relax in common ground, accepting of each and every little aspect of who they are. I, too, was able to participate in this exhilarating experience, pressing myself against the barricades as I shouted and hooted alongside marchers.

What kind of crowd does this sort of event bring, you may ask? Well, it brought people from all over, with all types of backgrounds and preferences, together. Walking down the street you may encounter a drag queen struttin’ her stuff up the block, a business man in a suit and tie, suburban families, and perhaps even your own friends and family- all together. Pride is a melting pot of personalities, nationalities, and backgrounds. Now before I get back on my point, I’d like to add that this parade was like none I’d ever seen before, no parade that I had encountered up until this point was so welcoming and embracing as pride. When I went home, I went home feeling I had a larger family and a place to fit, a place in a community I could call home. Sadly, this is not a mutual feeling amongst many people of society as I previously stated before. There are those who are forced to stay in the dark behind this invisible wall we’ve come to know as “the closet,” shoved in this stuffy little box where they are suffocated by the conformities of either their society or their family. With all this in consideration, it is hard to get a clear picture of how the LGBTQ+ community is treated by the public. Like any other community, they have experienced both brutal persecution and overwhelming acceptance alike.

As the 21^st century edges on we see the rise of acceptance by the younger generations, as well as the encouragement of the LGBTQ+ community. Celebrities like Jeffree Stars, Ellen DeGeneres, Neil Patrick Harris, Laverne Cox, Ruby Rose, Bella Thorne, and even Jayden Smith are cheered on and embraced by fans everywhere telling them to “stay fabulous!” Bisexual, gender-fluid, gender-neutral, gay, lesbian, pansexual, transgender and many more people from the LGBTQ+ community are celebrated and cheered on for being loud and proud of who they are. Society has grown so accepting over the years that even “bathroom bills” were passed preventing discrimination in bathrooms based on gender, which for transgendered people has been a huge step in the right direction.

Sadly, this bliss has been short-lived. Under current legislation, bills are being pushed in some states to revoke laws preventing discrimination. In Michigan, a bill is being pushed that urges the state’s Board of Education to ignore recently-issued guidance on LGBTQ+ students, including allowing them to use the restrooms of their choice. In New York, there’s a bill pushing for the segregation of school bathrooms, and even in Washington there is an attempt to revoke the anti-discrimination law. With these seemingly “anti-LGBTQ+” sentiments radiating from these proposed bills, the LGBTQ+ community is obviously frightened about what the future may hold. I witnessed this reaction first hand here in our high school’s own GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance) when we had a meeting following political changes that sent a massive uproar through the LGBTQ+ society. Students wept as they expressed their worry “anti-LGBTQ+” backlash. That day, close to none left that meeting with dry eyes.

One of the major discussion points this year has been the removal of the LGBTQ+ rights page, disappearing from the White House’s website. Our GSA president, Alex Wojtach said, “Erasing our existence from the census or the White House website stops the conversation. There’s no discussion to be had when one side doesn’t want to talk.” One of our other members, Sam, can be quoted on this topic as well, stating that, “Silencing one voice strengthens another. The voice of hate grows.” This move by the new legislation has put the LGBTQ+ community in a state of worry, panic, and sorrow. There is still an overwhelming amount of support in this world for the LGBTQ+ community, but is our acceptance of said community becoming obsolete?