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June 2010 is Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and
Transgender Pride Month
June is gay pride month. I am often asked why gays
and lesbians need to celebrate their sexuality and
have it acknowledged as something to be proud of
when heterosexuals do not need to do this. While it
is true that heterosexuals do not have a straight
pride month or parade, nor do they feel the need to
have one, lesbians and gays do!
Why?
The same reason we celebrate St. Patrick's Day
March and Black History month in February--to
celebrate one's identity and acknowledge that we
exist.
Currently people still assume that everyone is
heterosexual until proven otherwise. They ask males
if they have wives and girlfriends and females if
they have boyfriends and husbands. Lesbians are
assumed heterosexual and asked by doctors if they
are using birth control assuming that the woman is
sexually active with men.
The next time you see a gay pride event and
parade, instead of judging it as overly sexual,
over the top flamboyant and/or being in your face
about sex, take a moment and remember these people
are celebrating their identities. Being gay and
lesbian is about a life full of spiritual,
emotional, psychological and sexual connection to
members of the same gender. Until it is fully
acknowledged legally and otherwise and accepted as
a legitimate and normal lifestyle for the people
who live it, we are going to need gay pride
month.
©2010 by Joe Kort
Our President of the United States, Barack Obama
has acknowedged gay pride month officially as you
will see below.
Presidential Proclamation--Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month
As Americans, it is our birthright that all
people are created equal and deserve the same
rights, privileges, and opportunities. Since our
earliest days of independence, our Nation has
striven to fulfill that promise. An important
chapter in our great, unfinished story is the
movement for fairness and equality on behalf of the
lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT)
community. This month, as we recognize the
immeasurable contributions of LGBT Americans, we
renew our commitment to the struggle for equal
rights for LGBT Americans and to ending prejudice
and injustice wherever it exists.
LGBT Americans have enriched and strengthened
the fabric of our national life. From business
leaders and professors to athletes and first
responders, LGBT individuals have achieved success
and prominence in every discipline. They are our
mothers and fathers, our sons and daughters, and
our friends and neighbors. Across my
Administration, openly LGBT employees are serving
at every level. Thanks to those who came before us
the brave men and women who marched, stood up to
injustice, and brought change through acts of
compassion or defiance we have made enormous
progress and continue to strive for a more perfect
union.
As we honor the LGBT Americans who have given so
much to our Nation, let us remember that if one of
us is unable to realize full equality, we all fall
short of our founding principles. Our Nation draws
its strength from our diversity, with each of us
contributing to the greater whole. By affirming
these rights and values, each American benefits
from the further advancement of liberty and justice
for all.
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
2010 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender
Pride Month. I call upon all Americans to observe
this month by fighting prejudice and discrimination
in their own lives and everywhere it exists.
BARACK OBAMA
Related: Issues,
Books
Psychotherapist
Joe Kort, MA, MSW, has been in practice since 1985.
He specializes in Gay Affirmative Psychotherapy as
well as IMAGO Relationship Therapy, which is a
specific program involving communication exercises
designed for couples to enhance their relationship
and for singles to learn relationship skills. He
also specializes in sexual addiction, childhood
sexual, physical and emotional abuse, depression
and anxiety. He offers workshops for couples and
singles. He runs a gay men's group therapy and a
men's sexuality group therapy for straight, bi and
gay men who are struggling with specific sexual
issues. His therapy services are for gays and
lesbians as well as heterosexuals. His articles and
columns have appeared in The Detroit Free
Press, Between the Lines Newspaper for
Gays and Lesbians, The Detroit News, The
Oakland Press, The Royal Oak Mirror, and
other publications. Besides providing therapy for
individuals and couples, he conducts a number of
groups and workshops for gay men. Now an adjunct
professor teaching Gay and Lesbian Studies at Wayne
State University's School of Social Work, he is
doing more writing and workshops on a national
level. He is the author of 10
Smart Things Gay Men can do to Improve Their
Lives and
10
Smart Things Gay Men Can Do to Find Real
Love.
www.joekort.com
or E-Mail
*
Gaydar
(gay'.dahr, n.): (1) The
ability that lets gays and lesbians identify one
other. (2) This column--where non-gay readers can
improve their gaydar, learning more about gay men's
psychology and social lives. Also, (3) a regular
feature where gay readers can discover the many
questions and hassles their straight
counterparts--and themselves--must face!
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