Pride

Love is the answer
And you know that, for sure
Love is the flower
You gotta let it, you gotta let it grow

John Lennon, Mind Games [YouTube Video]
Genius Lyrics

June is Pride month, a month to celebrate how Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) have contributed to the goodwill of our country and to their strength in reminding all of us of the diversity and caring of the human spirit.

Read about the history here:

• Library of Congress
• Wikipedia
• Library of Congress Guide to understand the many issues

We are a country of differences, yet we all strive for the “pursuit of happiness.” And so we live and let live. Some people say it better than I do:

Do not make

the mistake of thinking

that you have to agree

with people and their beliefs

to defend them from

injustice.

~ Bryant McGill in his Preamble to the Voice of Reason

Bryant McGil also said in this Preamble to his book, The Voice of Reason:

Without love and compassion, nothing is sacred. No marketplace, free or otherwise, is good when it fails to consider the basic human state of needs at every stage of life. No political body is sacred, sustainable or under protection, which allows the exploitation of its people, or capitalization from the subdued life-force of its weakest members. No nation’s flag is great or glorious if it flies over the weak and downtrodden, even if they raise and protect it out of misguided allegiance. No belief or idea is sacred, unless it treats all people as sacred. And no construct on earth will stand, that does not stand for the least among them, as their advocate and humble servant.

~Bryant McGill

Freedom is nothing if it is only your rights you support.

Abraham Lincoln, on Saturday Evening, July 10, 1858, at Chicago, Illinois, said:

And so, we celebrate in June those who are being discriminated against with such uncaring laws based on something so unAmerican. We are, after all, created equal.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

~Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson

I hope we as Americans move forward once again with these truths from our history, and work towards liberty and justice for all.

Art for You

If you would like to show support during PRIDE month with a Facebook profile like the one I created, I have created a template for you to insert your own picture. There are two, one with the text and one without. Download them here:

I learned how to make these from Jennifer Nichol’s Facebook post in her student group for those who take her Skillshare or Creative Journey Classes. Learn more here: Jennifer Nichol’s of Leila And Po Studio.