It’s that time of the year again. People from your hometown and your weird second cousins are posting about why Pride Month is personally hurting them on every possible social media platform. Their arguments are inherently flawed and they show no signs of learning or growth.

Many of their arguments stem from their incorrect understanding of the Bible. If we’re going to talk about “God” as something irrefutable, it is important to note that the word “homosexual” didn’t appear in the American Revised Standard Version Bible until 1946. The word “aresenkoitai” was translated from Latin to English incorrectly. “Aresenkoitai” actually translates to “boy molester” or “pedophile” and is what the “man shall not lie with man” verse is actually about.

And if the Bible is going to be considered law, there should be many changes taking place. The Bible also condemns wearing torn clothing in Leviticus 10:6 and cutting your hair in Leviticus 19:27. Mixing fabrics when dressing yourself is considered an abomination, too. (Leviticus 19:19) 

Don’t start acting like you follow all rules in the Bible when you’re only searching for a way to belittle and harm a community you don’t understand. Furthermore, there should be a separation of church and state put into place, because there has never seemed to be one. 

So why do we need Pride? Ask the vast majority of the community that gets rejected and attacked for simply being who they are. Pride is about creating visibility. It’s about letting everyone know that we are here and we aren’t going anywhere. Ever since Stonewall, Pride has been about fighting for our right to exist. Pride is a place of safety and comfort and love. Pride means something different to different members of the community, and that’s what makes it so great. It serves a greater purpose than an easy way to boost your sales. It’s created, led, and celebrated for us.

There have been other arguments as to why Pride Month should be done away with. Two of which include the fact that there’s only one day to celebrate the military and a whole month is given to the LGBTQ community. The other being that if there’s a Pride Month, there should be a Straight Pride Month, too.

For starters, there actually is a month dedicated to appreciating the military. May was declared National Military Appreciation Month in 1999. So don’t use your ignorance as another reason to breed hate. Secondly, Straight Pride has been celebrated all year round since the beginning of time. Gay Pride wasn’t created to celebrate being gay, but instead to live a life without persecution. Straight people are able to live a full life without fear of being judged or scrutinized by their families, friends, or even the government. Straight people, assess your privilege and be allies. It shouldn’t be more complicated than that.

As Pride Month comes to an end, the celebration won’t end. The protests won’t end. We exist all year round and deserve to feel safe in all spaces we occupy. Pride should and will be celebrated all year.