Hopefully the following things I am about to say do not sound like a complaint (although they are a little) and instead sound like valid and understandable points. Yay!

We need to remember the “A” this pride month. And honestly, we need to remember all of the letters after the “T.” 

Pride month is coming, and with that, corporations are going to participate in what the queer community likes to call rainbow capitalism, which is where companies attempt to capitalize off of pride month by making rainbow and queer-targeted products for the sole purpose of making money. It may seem like they’re being allies and supporting the community, but in reality they are simply doing it out of greed and are doing nothing for the queer community. The rest of the year they aren’t donating money, signing petitions, or hiring queer employees. 

 A lot of those companies are going to celebrate the LGBT community, or maybe the LGBT+ community. And if we’re oh, so lucky, the LGBTQ+ community will be celebrated.

I totally understand saying LGBT+, because let’s be real, the whole acronym is a mouthful. But simply not including the plus? How hard is it to add a plus, and if we’re honest, the main 8 syllables in LGBTQIA+. 

Words are much more impactful than we seem to think. Cutting out letters from the acronym, especially when not considering the plus, cancels out voices and experiences of other minority communities. There is already so much discrimination and individual challenges each sexual orientation or gender identity faces, we simply shouldn’t add to that by ignoring letters, because in this case, letters are people, experiences, and important parts of identity. 

I didn’t realize how much it impacted me until last pride month, when my Instagram feed was covered in rainbows, celebrating those who are gay and trans, and I didn’t see myself in any of those posts. I distinctly remember seeing “LGBT” everywhere, and rarely seeing the A. How hard is it to include the other letters? If you’re celebrating the entire community, why not truly celebrate the entire community? 

Language matters. Including all of the letters, the flags, having diverse people in interviews, in ads, as models for rainbow merchandise, shows the queer community that we are valid. Ignoring letters and identifying within the community suggest those letters, those real life human beings, are not as important. They’re easily forgotten. 

However, it’s not all about me. It would be selfish to say that it is. But this is about a broader community. The “A” is often forgotten. Asexual and aromantic communities are much more likely to be in the closet and be offered conversion therapy, so why are we always forgotten and rarely celebrated? We have a history of finding each other online, yet when it comes to pride month where every social media platform has a rainbow profile picture and flags in every post, asexuals, the online community, is rarely involved.

Additionally, pride parades can be quite a sexualized place. Although it is totally valid and important to celebrate the sexual part of your identity, it is important to remember that not everyone experiences that piece, and being inclusive with language and celebrating different orientations encapsulates every queer identity. And I’m not a parent, but lots of young queer people and little kids attend with their families, so maybe showing off your kinks and fetishes at pride parades while wearing leashes and leather is not the most family friendly choice…

It is obviously important to celebrate the queer community now and moving forward, and it is amazing that being queer is so widely accepted in the United States that companies are making products that target a queer demographic. But, we still have a long way to go. Corporations should be donating money to queer organizations. They should be advocating for the passage of gender-affirming healthcare and a federal ban to conversion therapy. They should be using their platform to spread awareness and support the community. 

Now. Simply not saying additional letters does not actually wipe away the intersex or aromantic or pansexual population. Wearing slutty clothing to pride does not offend asexuals. However, when being an ally, or even a member of an oppressed community, language is impactful, especially when actions in the past (and unfortunately the present) have been harmful to queer people. Pride month, and every month, is a time to celebrate differences and let love be love. 

Alright. That’s enough from me. Pride month is so soon, and I am so excited to buy rainbow stickers and wave my little flag at a parade.