"I think everybody should be allowed to be who they are, and to love who they love.”

We’re celebrating Pride Month here in the United States. And before I go any further, I want to offer an apology in advance. It’s entirely likely I’ll use the wrong words in this post. It’s entirely likely I’ll impact someone in a negative way with this post. And I want to say right up front – my intention is to celebrate. When I get it wrong, I welcome education so that I do better next time. I know I’m still learning – my commitment is to do better when I know better and to keep on learning. So, my apologies and my thanks in advance.

Goodness but it’s hard enough to be yourself when most of you aligns with the mainstream or the generally accepted. It’s hard enough to even know your true self, the one that springs forth from the inside and is so often drowned out by the forces and noise from the outside. The level of effort it takes for any of us to be true to ourselves in our quiet moments is often monumental. The level of effort it takes to be true to yourself in the face of harsh criticism, an environment that wasn’t built with you in mind, and people who aren’t committed to learning…. Well that’s on par with superhero strength.? Frankly, I’m in awe.

Who you are – every single one of you – makes this world the amazing place it is. We’d be lesser without the real you. I’d be lesser for not knowing the real you. Who you love is none of my business – except that I love to celebrate love and want to celebrate yours, too. So, for those of you for whom “fit” is easy, I want to know and celebrate you. And for those of you for whom “fit” is harder, I want to know and celebrate you, too.

Be like Dolly. Be you, and love.