By Sunny S.

Pride parades, speeches, and everything from dog clothing to bumper stickers covered in rainbows. During June, it’s pride month! Pride month is a month-long celebration to celebrate those who identify in the LGBTQ+ community. (Lesbian: a girl who likes girls, gay: a boy who likes boys, but lesbians are sometimes referred to as gay, bisexual: someone who is attracted to more than one gender, Transgender: someone who does not identify with the gender that they were assigned at birth, Queer or questioning: queer is another way to say LGBTQ+ and questioning means you still are questioning your identity.) But what if you are straight or cisgender and want to celebrate pride month? Well, if you are accepting of the LGBTQ+ community, you are an ally! You can celebrate too! But how do you celebrate? Other than going to pride parades and giving your queer friends gifts, there are many ways to do your part. First off, ask people what pronouns they use, as well as their name (Unless they do not want to share their pronouns, never push it.) Try not to make assumptions about people. Accept people for who they are. Believe me, it is the best feeling ever. Stand up for people when you can. And you do not have to do this on pride month, kindness can be year-round. What is happening at Roeper for pride month? There has been a pride parade at Roeper, with students marching and saying things like “trans rights are human rights” and “we say gay,” due to the ‘don’t say gay’ legislation.