By Joseph Gatti
The month of June commemorates the impact the LGBTQ+ community has made here in the United States and around the world. June was chosen for pride month because of its connection to the Stonewall riots which occurred in June of 1969. The LGBTQ+ community’s struggle for marriage equality has been a long and hard struggle. Although the Libertarian Party has supported marriage equality since the moment of the party’s conception in 1971, gay marriage only became legal a few years ago in the United States and in many countries around the world it is still illegal. This is one of the many reasons why pride month is important in our society because individual liberty is non-negotiable for a free society.
There is nothing abnormal about consenting adults choosing to engage in behaviors that don’t harm others, two same LGBTQ+ partners choosing to be together doesn’t violate the rights of others. Preventing LGBTQ+ people from participating in the workplace, the government, marriage, etc. is a violation of their individual liberty and personal choice. This doesn’t stop people who seek to violate the rights of the LGBTQ+ community though. A society is as free as it is willing to protect its vulnerable members, therefore pride month is important in the US. Pride month shows the LGBTQ+ community that there are people nationwide that are willing to stand up for their rights against those who would seek to deny the LGBTQ+ community the same rights as straight people.
LGBTQ+ rights, like all civil rights, are promoted by Libertarians because Libertarians believe that individuals should have the right to pursue their own destinies without the threat of government force. An important value to libertarians is the belief that aggression is inherently wrong and telling two consenting adults that they can’t engage in love or participate in work because of who they choose to love is an act of aggression against them. In order for a society to be a free society, its members must be free. In the land of the free and the home of the brave, LGBTQ+ rights are values that are as American as apple pie and we are better off as a country for it.
Joseph Gatti is the founder of The Patriot Rider which he hopes to grow into a full media outlet one day.
