MY TURN: Loving your neighbor includes listening first

In response to the recent letter questioning the point of Pride: it seems there’s some confusion about what exactly LGBTQ+ people are proud of, and why Pride exists in the first place.

Pride isn’t about saying “Look at my sexual orientation!” It’s about refusing to be ashamed of something that, for generations, people were beaten, imprisoned, fired or killed for. It’s about survival, visibility and community in the face of a world that, for far too long, told LGBTQ+ people to hide — or else.

To the writer’s question: What have they done to be proud of?

Here’s the answer: They’ve lived. They’ve come out. They’ve stood up in families, churches, schools and governments that often made them feel like they didn’t belong. They’ve pushed for rights — like marriage, health care and protection from discrimination — that others take for granted. That’s not “just being born a certain way.” That’s resilience. That’s courage. That’s worthy of pride.

As for why we don’t have “Portuguese or Italian Pride Month” — we do. It’s called heritage months, and they’re celebrated in schools and communities across the country. But ethnicity and orientation are not the same. No one has ever passed laws criminalizing being Italian. No one’s been kicked out of their home for being Portuguese. No one’s denied life-saving care or legal recognition for speaking Spanish at work.

And to the point about people “not caring” and wishing LGBTQ+ folks would “just keep it in the bedroom” — straight people don’t live in the shadows. They hold hands in public, talk about their partners at work and kiss at airports without fear. Pride is about claiming that same basic freedom — nothing more, nothing less.

If you’re straight and have never had to come out, explain yourself or fight for legal equality, maybe that’s why Pride seems unnecessary to you. But to millions of others, it means everything.

I stand with the LGBTQ+ community not because I need to, but because it’s right. And I’m proud to do so.

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Tonya Coppedge is a Coeur d'Alene resident.