In today’s day and age, there are so many things that are now being accepted and welcomed with open arms. Most of us students here at Crofton High were born right around the time when things like the LGBTQ+ community were first being mainstream. However, for the Generation X members; the majority of our parents and some of our grandparents, the vocabulary to describe queer or non-binary didn’t even exist. From their perspective, I can understand how incredibly difficult it must be to keep up with all the new terms and standards that my own parents hadn’t heard of when they were kids. But, while it can be time-consuming to teach them what it means to be androgynous, it’s very crucial. And I’m going to tell you why. 

Number one. They’re going to see it everywhere. Support and causes for the LGBTQ+ community are publicized all over the place, especially now that we have social media. These posts are important, and are a strong part of our belief system. According to broadbent institute.ca, the power of social media can spread the message that acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community is made public to millions of people.

Number two. They probably have met someone who is part of the community, whether they are aware of it or not. Since members of the community are so much more widely accepted than ever before, it is inevitable that you will see people in the community. If our parents see people in the community, they might have the natural instinct to think certain things about them. While we can change their initial thoughts, we can influence the ones that come after them. The hardest thing about this situation is what our parents think now about the LGBTQ+ community is something that most of them don’t see a problem with. It’s only until they say the wrong thing to the wrong person, which would more than likely be a stereotype or assumption that they´ve been taught since a young age. On the National Library of Medicine website, it states how our parents weren’t exposed to even half of what we are today, and that they don’t really have another choice but to be ignorant. 

Number three. The odds of parents having children as a part of the community are high. With the high amounts of acceptance today, many more people have felt comfortable in coming forward and showing who they really are. In an article on The Washington Post one in six individuals who are a part of Generation Z identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community. This goes for our parents’ kids, and relationships have been lost because of sexual orientation. 

We may be youth, but we’re powerful. Though I am not a part of the community myself, I am and will always be an advocate for those who are. Let’s change how our parents view our friends, our classmates, our significant others. Together, we can wave the rainbow flags high, and show pride.