They Need Us

In 2019 Evansville, Indiana had their first River City Pride event. My daughter had been attending the Denver Pride every year since moving out to Colorado. She would call me and tell me how much she loved it, how much fun she and her wife had and I needed to come out there to attend the next years event. So when Evansville hosted a Pride Event, I attended so I could show support to the LGBTQ+ community.

As an ally for the LGBTQ+ community and a mother of a LGBTQ+ child, I have worn my Proud Ally t-shirt into restaurants and have had complete strangers come up to me and thank me for my support. This interaction almost always ends with the stranger saying, “We need more of you out here.” At first I didn’t think much about this statement but as I have become more involved with this minority group, I am beginning to understand these words on a deeper level.

There are a lot of allies for the LGBTQ+ community, I speak to them all the time. We discuss the higher than normal suicide rates among this group, the misinformation regarding trans, and the latest news as this minority groups civil rights are being stripped away. Then we return to our lives. I’ve replayed our conversations and the one thing we miss during this discussions is developing a plan of action to combat these issues and more. To unify as a group and strengthen our voice along with the LGBTQ+ community.

If you are an ally for this group, it is time to stand up and speak up. If you are active on social media, please use your platforms to be heard. Be ready to reach out to your local, state, and federal elected officials and be heard. Let these representatives know it is not American to strip away the civil rights of minority groups. It is time we stand shoulder to shoulder. Not just during Pride month in June but every day. Our LGBTQ+ family and friends need us now more than ever.