“NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States do hereby proclaim June 2016 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month. I call upon the people of the United States to eliminate prejudice everywhere it exists, and to celebrate the great diversity of the American people.”

On May 31^st, 2016, President Obama changed history forever in his proclamation that June 2016 would be known as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month. This is only fitting considering the anniversary of the national recognition of gay marriage that was ruled by the Supreme Court in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage on June the 26^th of last year.

This is so profoundly incredible to hear, and looking back, it’s impossible not to get excited when it comes to just how far the LGBTQA+ community has come. I distinctly remember that as a young teen, I was terrified. I had no idea that there were other people out there just like me, struggling with their identity and unsure of the future.

Times have changed, however, and celebrating one’s identity is more acceptable now than it may once have been. Important that it is to recognize these successes within the community, it is also important to recognize that the LGBTQA+ community still has large strides to make.

According to studies, nearly 40% of youth self-identify as being a part of the LGBTQA+ community. Almost 70% of those homeless youth in the LGBTQA+ community reported that they had been kicked out of their own homes and about 50% of those reported abuse from those same family members that kicked them out of their homes for being gay, lesbian, transgender, or queer.

This has to stop.

Violence against the community is very prevalent today. A protester at Target blew up a toilet merely to make a statement that they didn’t support Target’s policy, which simply allows those who identify as Trans to pee in the bathroom in which they prefer. A man in the south was put behind bars after ruthlessly burning a gay couple who were sleeping in his significant others’ house – her own son and his partner.

I struggled to find the words for this, until I woke up this weekend. In Orlando, Florida at Pulse Night Club, twenty people were shot and killed. Now, we don’t know the reason for why; frankly, it doesn’t matter.

The violence against the LGBTQA+ community is heartbreaking and unacceptable.

We as a community need to take a stand. Marriage is important, yes, but there are so many more important liberties and rights to fight for. We are human just like anyone else. We can’t stand divided and expect to have support on a large level.

How do we fix it? We start with ourselves.

Too many times I’ve heard gay men putting each other down – No fats, no fems, etc. – which is terribly unfortunate. We are alike. Shouldn’t we be celebrating that?

I implore you, heterosexual or not, to consider attending a Pride event. It is there that you will see just how the LGBTQA+ community is. Being gay is nothing to be ashamed of.