MARQUETTE, Mich. (WLUC) – Michigan has recognized June as pride month since 2021. It’s a time of celebration and visibility for the LGBTQ+ community.
Still, the month brings questions, confusion, and misconceptions about its purpose.
TV6′s Tia trudgeon sat down with some of the younger members of the LGBTQ community at a local tea shop to hear about their struggles to be accepted and why they recognize Pride Month.
These teens navigate a world where acceptance isn’t always a given. Like Xye, an incoming sophomore, who chose to leave Negaunee for Ishpeming High School. “I actually transferred last year because I was having a lot of struggles with bullying and harassment,” explains Xye Fiocchi.
According to the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey, LGBTQ students experience bullying on school grounds at nearly twice the rate of their heterosexual peers, and the Trevor Project’s 2023 survey found that LGBTQ youth who had access to at least one accepting adult were 40% less likely to attempt suicide.
For many students, feeling safe and accepted in their community can make a world of difference. Marquette Senior High School Junior Wiley Steeland recalls a time when she was scared to ask for support from teachers because she didn’t know if they’d be accepting.
“It’s really nice having that support because then we know we have control and if I ever need to talk to somebody I know exactly which teachers I can talk to. And the bullying is going down… talking about it and bringing up the issue helped a lot.”
Despite the progress, there’s still prejudice and fear. Many, like MSHS Junior Skyler Meiseli, find it challenging to be their true selves in certain environments.
“From middle school to last year there was a lot of bullying, and it’s a lot better now than it was, but the support here is more on the level where they say that they support you but they won’t show it, or they won’t be okay being seen with you.”
Xye tells Trudgeon it can be scary to be open in public, and recalls a time she was called a derogatory slang in public by a stranger, “it’s scary to think if people can do that and not even think about it, what will people do when they’re provoked?”
Throughout the interview, these students remained hopeful that our communities will become more accepting of them but agreed that it’s confusing why it’s not more already.
“It’s really sad and honestly disappointing that there are people that just don’t like people,” says Steeland.
If you want to show your support, flying a flag, advertising your business as a safe space, and talking to your children about acceptance can make a true difference.
Tia Trudgeon sits down with youth members of the LGBTQ+ community to hear about why they celebrate Pride Month.
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