We're about halfway through pride month, which means we're also about halfway through every one of the hot takes about why we shouldn't have pride month, why it's too long, and why we don't need it anymore. SPOILER ALERT: WE DO. If only for the fact that there are so many people demanding that the LGBT+ community justify their existence.

Equality didn't happen just because gay people can marry now. And while things are markedly better than they were when I came out in 2002, homophobia and heterosexism still exist and there are still public officials out there (hi Alabama!) demanding that homosexuals be killed.