Pride ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

For many years it was called the Gay Pride Parade, it was one day where thousands of LGBTQ2+ people—and their allies—gathered on the streets of Toronto to celebrate just being who they are. The month of June has become Pride Month and millions now join in the festivities, not only here in Toronto but around the world. A staunch ally myself, I felt compelled to toss in my hat to join in the celebration, but also to tip my hat to the many people who have journeyed through dark times in their lives, but who now find themselves in a good place in life—loving who they are and finally at peace.

What I most wish—for those who still don’t understand the need for a yearly celebration—is to understand that some people still have to struggle to hide their true feelings for someone, or hide who they love from their family, or are still not seen as an equal compared to other heterosexual couples. Maybe not being promoted at work just for being who they are, or being mercilessly teased or even physically assaulted for simply loving another human being. I personally can never imagine this sort of pain and rejection from my family, my friends, or from society in general. I hope for this discussion to one day be a historical one—where we say we used to treat people differently for who they love, we used to think their choice of partner in life mattered. Oh how I wish this for my children and for future generations—and beyond.

Until then, it’s the small daily battles that matter most—which will help us as a society achieve this dream I dare dream. A smile, a kind word, treating everyone we meet not just with tolerance (I’m not a fan of this word) but with true respect and love for another. Equality is not just an ‘it’ word, it should be a deep rooted belief felt through the human consciousness. Opening someone else’s mind to equality should not be a great battle of wits or debated ad nauseam. These expressed opinions—I hope—are best displayed through positive gestures, kind actions, a hug or a simple acceptance at the dinner table without tension or apprehension.

I say this often whenever this topic comes up—should one of my children one day tell me they are gay, lesbian, or other I’ll respond like this: “Thanks for letting me know, now pass the salt please”. This is in no way to dismiss them or to evade further discussion. It’s the overall sentiment that matters here. What I’m trying to say is that I want them to realize it’s no big deal to me who they love as long as they respect themselves, and find someone who loves and respects them in return. My children will never be shunned by me for loving another human being. Period.

So raise your glasses and let’s cheers to celebrating love, cheers to celebrating acceptance, cheers to celebrating equality—finally, cheers to the overall sentiment of ‘it’s really not a big deal who we choose to love!’.

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