David Bowie Made Me Gay by Darryl W. Bullock

These numbers only increase when we talk about queer people of color and transgender people. Queer people still face a unique threat of violence, with the massacre at Pulse nightclub still looming in recent history, and hate-related homocides increasing by 82% from 2016 to 2017. But the LGBTQ+ history is as essential to understanding society and ourselves as any other history, and it continues to be erased and silenced.Įven now, the current American president has declined to recognize June as Pride Month, as it has been in the past.

This is not to say that kids shouldn’t be allowed to be carefree, because they absolutely should, and we should find joy in the safety of acceptance. Therefore, they should be allowed to be “carefree” and not hold the burden that older generations do-the burden of friends and lovers lost to the AIDS crisis, the struggle of fighting for equal rights, the staggering numbers of LGBTQ+ suicides and substance abuse, the shame and abuse suffered as a result of what remains a predominantly heteronormative society.Īnd while it’s true that things have gotten better-if you go to a Pride parade, it is more of a celebration than a protest as it used to be-the fact remains that being queer comes with hardship. The article, by Dylan Jones, argues that queer kids are now “treated in much the same way as other kids”, they have out and proud queer role models, and are entering into a much more accepting world than those that came before them. Back in February, a story broke from popular UK magazine Attitude entitled, “ Young Queer People Shouldn’t Be Obliged to Care About LGBT History”.

David Bowie Made Me Gay by Darryl W. Bullock