The Freedom to Be Seen (Even If Someone Objects)

Posting this Pride photo of my family means everything to me. And apparently it means way more to one of my former 'devout Christian’ high school classmates, who slid into my messages to announce — that “we don’t have a straight month” and “and I lovingly share with you that you shove your lifestyle down our throats every year.”

So let’s break this down, because his argument has more holes than a pair of gym socks from 1973.

First:

If your lifestyle is being “shoved down your throat” by a picture of me, my partner, and a dog in a rainbow kerchief…

my brother in Christ, you might want to check your settings. That’s not oppression — that’s an algorithm noticing you stare too long at colorful things.

Second:

The “straight month” complaint is adorable. Truly. It’s like watching someone demand a special holiday for oxygen. Straight Month is January through December. Straight Month is the default wallpaper of society. Straight Month is so omnipresent it doesn’t even need a parade — it’s already been the background noise of commercials, movies, wedding aisles; sitcom plot lines, and every Valentine’s Day display since the dawn of time.

Third:

Pride exists because for decades, people like me couldn’t post photos like this without risking our jobs, our safety, or our families. So when I share this picture now, it’s not an attack. It’s not propaganda. It’s not a recruitment flyer. It’s me celebrating the fact that I survived long enough to have a family I can show the world.

And finally:

If a rainbow backdrop and a happy family photo feel like a personal threat to your worldview…

that’s not a “gay problem.”

That’s a “your logic is doing cartwheels in a parking lot” problem.

So yes — I’m going to keep posting this picture. Because the only thing I’m shoving anywhere is joy… and if joy offends you, that’s between you and your Wi‑Fi router.

Mic dropped. Rainbow intact.