Editorial: Pride month – WMUR Manchester

June is Pride month, a time for the LQBTQ+ community to celebrate the freedom to be themselves.President Clinton named June Gay and Lesbian Pride Month in 1999. It evolved into LQBTQ+ Month in 2021.Some New Hampshire communities have really embraced Pride. Portsmouth held its first Pride event in 2015. The Pride flag was first raised at Manchester City Hall in 2018.And now, Manchester will hold its first Pride parade on June 18. It will be one of many Pride events around the Granite State.Some have asked: Why do we need a Pride month? Why don’t we have a heterosexual month? Those questions fail to take into account the everyday difficulties faced by LQBTQ+ people, especially kids.A CDC survey shows that lesbian, gay or bisexual youth are over three times more likely to consider suicide than their straight peers. Another survey from the Trevor Project shows that transgender youth are even more likely to consider suicide.What can make a difference in these kids’ lives? What can give them hope? Let’s start with acceptance and inclusion.Consider the emotional impact on transgender youth who see stories and social media accounts about proposed laws that would out them to parents, ban them from sports or even criminalize their access to medical treatment.But research shows that when LQBTQ+ people feel accepted by their community, suicide attempts go down — as much as two and a half times — when LQBTQ+ youth say their community was “very accepting.”And that’s what Pride is about. Kids — and adults — can see people who are like them and not feel alone.