Hi, I'm Dan. I'm a gay man and have been for as long as I can remember. From loving 'stereotypically gay activites' such as dancing in front of the TV watching Lady Gaga on MTV, to putting on fake shows for my whole family and forcing them to watch my productions. These consistent mostly of me wrapped in a blanket singing and dancing to my favourite songs from the array of NOW albums I had back in the day. Although I don't do these anymore (which I'm sure everyone in my family is extremely happy about), they definitely reflect and produced the person that I am today. The reason I want to write this blog is to show that although it isn't easy being gay in the slightest, there are amazing things that we can embrace, and why shouldn't we shed light on the positives about being gay? It is pride month after all!
Before I want to get into the positives of being gay, I want to make it very apparent that I am extremely lucky in my journey of being gay, coming out and living life as a homosexual cis-gender white man. Although people being gay does put you at a disadvantage in many different ways, myself being a white man who comes from a very accepting family who has a very good support system, I am very lucky. I cannot personally speak on the experiences of other people but people within the LGBTQ+ community who are also from BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Groups) have to experience being marginalised within society due to their ethnicity, but the added oppression of being queer. Being gay is not an easy ride, but we are allowed to embrace who we are and why it isn't all that bad being part of such an amazing community with a history to be proud of.
Milestones in LGBTQ+ history
In 1951, Roberta Cowell, a transgender woman in Britain became the first person to undergo sexual reassignment surgery. After living life as a Second World War fighter pilot, she decided to undergo a personal transformation and live out their life as a woman. Becoming a trail blazer in the LGBT community.
Another major milestone were the Stonewall Riots which occurred in 1969. In the early hours on June 28th, police invaded a a gay club in New York, USA called the Stonewall Inn, arresting 13 people at the bar as innocently enjoying the sanctuary of a space in which they could be themselves. This sparked riots in which people of the LGBTQ+ community came together to fight for their right and against the social discrimination and injustice they suffered. This stands as one of the most influential pieces of LGBT history which paved the way for myself and others globally to be who we are without criminal convictions.
In 1992, the World Health Organisation declassified homosexuality as a a mental illness. This produced a global change within different organisations such as healthcare and education which would begin the decline in conversion therapy carried out by healthcare systems worldwide. Due to the WHO declassifying this, the thoughts negative connotations regarding the LGBT community also began to change as people started to understand that being gay is not an illness.
What do I love about being gay?
In my personal opinion, there are many things I love about being gay. Firstly is the resilience of our community. Following on from the history of our community and the queer pioneers, it is clear how people within the LGBTQ+ community are resilient and passionate in standing up for ourselves and what's right. The pride that we feel not only being gay but the appreciation we have for those who rioted and spoke out for us to be able to live our lives the way we want to without experiencing injustice. The next thing is the community. People within the LGBT community all have something we can relate to each other on which heterosexual people cannot relate to. This brings us together. We show this through pride festivals which take place all over the world which displays the harmony in the community and lets us display how proud we are to be who we are. Individuality is another part of being gay which is amazing, being different is praised. Being gay, I feel that I can express myself however I want to and whatever way makes me happy. Being happy and doing whatever makes yourself feel like you are your truest for is a key part of being gay, and this is what makes gay people who we are.