This post has been “stewing” in my mind for several months, ever since a friend of mine told me of a telephone conversation she had with an acquaintance which started a chain of thoughts.

My friend told me that her acquaintance had asked her if she was gay, because she frequently referred to the acquaintance, a woman, using the term “love.” My immediate reaction was—it’s a joke. I reminded my friend that I say “love you” to her when we are ending our phone conversations, and that doesn’t suddenly make me her secret lover.

Was her acquaintance prejudiced, or homophobic? Given how often the acquaintance asked her the question, I had to rule out the possibility of it being a joke, and that leaves two options only. Either the woman was homophobic or prejudiced against the LGBTQIA2s+ community. There’s a fine line separating the two.

Prejudice is simply a preconceived opinion that has no basis in reason or actual experience. A person may be prejudiced against the LGBTQIA2S+ community based on comments from parents or relatives, or derived from slurs made by other people. The widely-held belief among many heterosexual men that all homosexual men are effeminate and talk with a lisp is such a prejudice.

Homophobia is prejudice against the community on steroids. It’s outright hatred, leading to bullying, legal restrictions, and violence against members of the LGBTQIA2S+ community—or even those thought to be members.

Pride Celebrations are a response and rejection of both prejudice and homophobia. In the words of the gay anthem, “I Am What I Am,” the community has a rallying cry: I am what I am, I am my own special creation. The individuals who are celebrating their uniqueness are neither effeminate lisping shadows nor the monsters lurking in the shadows tempting “normal” children to get perverted; they are human beings, worthy of being celebrated for having the pride to stand in front of frequently-hateful cultures and say…

“It's my world that I want to have a little pride in,

My world and it's not a place I have to hide in,
Life's not worth a damn
'Til you can say, I am what I am

I am what I am
I don't want praise, I don't want pity
I bang my own drum
Some think it's noise, I think it's pretty

And so what if I love each sparkle and each bangle?
Why not try to see things from a different angle?
Your life is a sham
'Til you can shout out, I am what I am”

(Lyrics: Jerry Herman)

As Pride Celebrations begin during these trying times, with conservatives worldwide trying to “erase” the LGBTQIA2S+ community through biased laws and prosecutions, it’s comforting to note that the number of voices being raised to say “I Am What I Am” has increased in the face of the prejudices and phobias.