Dear Kiantha: A simple hug can change 2SLGBTQIA+ lives

Dear Kiantha,

This weekend I attended my third Pride Parade in Spokane. It was overwhelming to see so many people together celebrating freedom and acceptance. I would imagine each person attending took away something different. I saw genuine kindness in the eyes of so many strangers.

Dear Friend,

I, too, had the opportunity to attend the Spokane Pride Parade this past weekend. I was interested in seeing the floats in all of their grandeur, and of course I can never get enough of hearing Gloria Gaynor’s disco hit “I Will Survive.”

For me, it is the freeness I can see in the faces of the thousands of people who feel ownership and belonging in that moment together. That moment is about being seen, celebrated and fabulous.

There was a moment I experienced at Pride that touched me in my soul. It was a moment that I had not expected to see or experience, but it left me understanding the importance of both having organized events like Pride and the opportunity they offer us to love one another.

I attended Pride in truth to bear witness. I wanted to see that everyone was treated with kindness, that there were no issues with protesters and that community and law enforcement worked well together during the event. All of which happened seamlessly, from what I could see.

As I was standing near the booth for Spark Central, a local nonprofit, I saw a woman walking toward me sobbing uncontrollably. I stopped her and said, “I see you crying. Are you OK?” Her reply to me was one in which I never expected to hear.

Her voice quivered through her tears. “I just got a hug from the ‘Free Mom and Dad Hugs’ people; it’s been awhile,” she said, her tears as big as rain drops.

Without saying anything more, I understood. I understood that she was likely one of the millions of 2SLGBTQIA+ people rejected by their families as a result of their sexuality or their families’ religious beliefs. While that in itself is a much broader conversation, what is very simple is that those who identify as 2SLGBTQIA+ need and desire our physical love.

Pride organizations nationwide organize local moms and dads who are willing to simply give hugs to parade attendees. I hope the amazing volunteers at the 2023 Spokane Pride know just how much their warm hugs meant to parade attendees who so desperately seek familial connection. We all want to be loved.

Soul to soul,

Kiantha

Dear Kiantha can be read Fridays in The Spokesman-Review. To read this column in Spanish, visit www.spokesman.com. To submit a question, email DearKiantha@gmail.com.