Pittsburgh LGBTQ+ community celebrates Pride Month with a cautious optimism
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – June is Pride Month, a time to celebrate accomplishments and point out what still needs to be done.
Those two issues were the topic of discussion with two prominent members of the LGBTQIA+ community to get a hand on where we are.
While we've come a long way, those accomplishments are tenuous and discrimination is still very real.
As you watch the beautiful colors of the Pride parade through the city this weekend, know we have made progress.
"We've come a mighty long way in terms of people understanding their gender identity and sexual orientation," said community organizer Latish Mayes, who has been leading the struggle for more than 20 and said she likes some of what she sees. "The youngest of our generations are so confident and unapologetic in who they are."
A lifetime on the frontlines of the fight, Pittsburgh City Councilman Bruce Kraus likes what he sees.
"I do find Pittsburgh to be a wonderful place, loving and accepting of LGBTQ+ people," Kraus said.
However, like Latisha, Kraus experiences discrimination daily.
"You know, as innocent as nuance, and as blatant as hate speech, and everywhere in-between," Kraus explained.
"In forms of housing, and when it comes to healthcare, when it comes to employment," Mayes added.
So, while this weekend is a celebration, it's also a call for hope.
"How can we make Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and our nation, even greater and better for LGBTQIA+ communities?" Mayes asked.
"My honest hope, thought, prayer, would be – you know, kindness, love, acceptance, and understanding," Kraus said. "You know, that old adage, live and let live. The world is more than just one kind of person."
People struggle to be seamlessly accepted in a society where they are elbow-to-elbow with everyone else living their lives and they are contributing to society.
There is plenty to celebrate this weekend, same-sex marriage for example, but both Kraus and Mayes pointed out they can never fully celebrate because there is always a faction trying to take those accomplishments away.
Or, as Kraus put it, looking at the current makeup of the U.S. Supreme Court – those decades of achievements could be taken away with the stroke of a pen.