I don’t agree with abortion, so I’m a misogynist, I’m anti-woman.

I don’t agree with homosexuality or gay marriage, so that means I’m a bigot, that I’m homophobic.

I don’t want to share a restroom with someone who is not biologically female, so I’m transphobic.

I think we should have strict immigration laws and that illegal aliens should be deported if they don’t want to follow the law, so I’m xenophobic.

According to “popular opinion”, most of my beliefs are on what’s considered to be the wrong side of history. Everywhere I look there are people telling the world how wrong my beliefs are, how intolerant people who share my beliefs are because, heaven forbid, I think for myself or I have an opinion that isn’t “mainstream”.

Intolerant seems to be the favorite word used by those who don’t agree with my beliefs, and it is far too often used to describe anyone who identifies themselves as a Christian or stands up for what they believe is right.

What makes me so intolerant?

What if it’s you that’s the intolerant one?

I was brought up in a Christian home, I’ve gone to church my entire life, I went to a private school for seven years. I have a set of beliefs that I choose to stand up for, a moral compass that has developed for the past eighteen years, what makes me any different than the average eighteen-year-old liberal girl?

If believing in the sanctity of human life makes me intolerant, then what does that make the woman standing topless in front of the Supreme Court building holding up a sign that says “ABORTION ON DEMAND AND WITHOUT APOLOGY” while spewing curse words at the pro-lifers standing on the other side of the fence?

When I speak up for what I believe in, how does that make me any different than a celebrity who uses their platform of fame to preach their beliefs?

Tolerance is a two-way street.

According to dictionary.com, intolerance is “unwillingness or refusal to tolerate or respect opinions or beliefs contrary to one's own.”

When I was growing up, I was taught to treat others the way I wanted to be treated. I’d like to think that I’ve done that, for the most part anyway.

I know people who think abortion is perfectly okay, I probably even know someone who’s had an abortion. Do I hate those people? Do I pick fights with them and call them names when debating them on Facebook? No, I don’t.

I know people who are gay, do I look down on them? Do I treat them any different than any of the straight friends I have? I don’t.

I know people who want Hillary Clinton to be the next president, who want Donald Trump to be president, who wanted Bernie Sanders to be president. I’ve been exposed to people of all different backgrounds and belief systems and political views but I treat them all the same because the way I treat others isn’t based on those things. I was taught to treat people the way you want to be treated because the world is filled with people who don’t share my beliefs.

Do any of those things make me intolerant? No. But apparently sticking up for my beliefs does.

I know of people who treat me completely different than they used to simply because I made my beliefs apparent because I stuck up for what I believe in and spoke against something that I found abhorrent.

But I’m the intolerant one? I’m the one who’s wrong?

One of the best parts about living here in the United States is the fact that we have a freedom to say and believe in whatever we choose to. And what good is believing in something if you don’t stand up for it?

After the tragedy in Orlando earlier this month, photos were flooding Facebook with messages of “no more hate”, especially from celebrities, which was completely ironic.

The irony in this?

The same people who spread the messages of no more hate are the same people who are going to attack others for their beliefs simply because they aren’t deemed “correct”.

I follow quite a few pro-life and conservative pages on Facebook and the amount of hateful, abhorrent comments made on posts by the tolerant people of the left are absolutely ridiculous. They’re the same people who preach no more hate when there’s a shooting, the same people who say we should love everybody no matter their race, their religion, their sexuality, they’re the people who are telling anyone who disagrees with them that they are intolerant, closed-minded.

But what about loving people who believe in something different than you? Isn’t that what being tolerant is?

I know my beliefs aren’t “cool”, they aren’t “popular”, they aren’t “mainstream”, but do you know what I do know? I know that it’s pretty hard to be a conservative Christian Millennial when everywhere you look, the news media and celebrities and public figures are telling you that your belief system is wrong, that you’re intolerant, you’re anti-woman, you’re homophobic, xenophobic, and any other kind of phobic they decide to create that day.

Tomi Lahren is a TV anchor on The Blaze network who shares my beliefs. She’s been called every name in the book for standing up for her beliefs and sharing them with the world. When she dared to speak up about liberal icon Beyonce’s anti-police Superbowl performance and overall attitude, she came under fire. She was the talk of every gossip show and every single person that didn’t agree with her called her intolerant for disagreeing with Beyoncé and her performances and beliefs.

Hold on there a minute, let’s examine these two situations.

Agree with her or not, Beyonce is one of the most influential people in the world. When she does things like support the Black Panther Movement on the most watched television event in the world, people notice. And because she’s a celebrity, everyone fawns over her, agrees with her, and praises her for sticking up for what she believes in.

But when Tomi Lahren speaks up for what she believes in, all hell breaks loose.

But Tomi’s obviously the intolerant one, right?

I’m sick and tired of being told that I’m intolerant, that I’m closed minded because I don’t agree with the general public’s opinion.

Instead of telling me I’m intolerant or closed minded, maybe respect the fact that I do, in fact, have beliefs and speak out for them in a way that doesn’t involve attacking others.

And if you disagree with me, I’ll be more than happy to tell you why I believe what I believe and I’ll listen to you explain why you believe the way you believe.

That’s what tolerance is all about.

So the next time you see a post on Facebook, a news article on Fox or CNN, a video from Tomi Lahren that you don’t agree with, don’t attack that person for their beliefs, don’t call them intolerant. You don’t have to agree with their beliefs, but the least you could do is respect them.