During this Pride Month we celebrate the beauty, history, tenacity and contributions of LGBTQ+ people as well as the strides we have made in the fight for civil rights. It’s a joyous time and everyone at Mayer Labs wishes you a Happy Pride!
Of course, there are always those people for whom “Happy” and “Pride'' do not go together. Anti-sex conservatives, and those that court their votes use Pride as a platform to justify anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination.
And, yes, we said “anti-sex” conservatives. Part of their opposition to Pride is that they believe it is a celebration of “sin.” They do not see LGBTQ+ people. They are unable to see LGBTQ+ people as loving human beings who are deserving of a healthy and satisfying sex life, love life, and family life just like anyone else.
Make no mistake that the same people who protest at Pride events by shouting Bible verses along with unchristian hate and violence though megaphones are the same people who scream at patients who are heading into medical offices that provide abortions. They have a very narrow view of sex and sexuality, which is echoed in the “Make America Great Again” agenda. The MAGA Agenda narrowly defines acceptable expressions of self, of gender roles, and of sexual expression, where the only sex anyone should be having is procreative sex between cis women and cis men.
From this narrow perspective, ever since Roe v Wade was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, anti-sex conservatives have felt emboldened, making it pretty clear that they won’t be happy until contraception is banned and until we have a Federal Government that can tell us who and how can love.
We at Mayer Labs are fierce allies of the LGBTQ+ community and staunch supporters of reproductive rights. Obviously, we’re opposed to any bans on contraceptives, and not just because we are a sexual health and wellness company. It’s because since our founding, we have been celebrating the capacity of each of us to be fully human. It’s because we are called to recognize the light that radiates from everyone who comes into this world. This is not defined by our sexual orientation and gender expression. Since our founding we have used our platform to advocate. We were proud to stand up in 1987 and include LGBTQ+ people in our advertisements and corporate materials. In the midst of the devastating AIDS crisis, we worked to expand access to health care, promoting safer yet pleasurable sex for all. In those extremely dark days, the anti-sex conservatives were spewing unchristian hate at the thousands of people who were sick and dying. Many of us see today as déjà vu.
Women and LGBTQ+ people have hard fought rights to sexual expression. If anti-sex conservatives don’t want to have sex or experience pleasure, that’s their prerogative. But it certainly isn’t ours, and they have no right to make these kinds of decisions for the rest of us.
In a country with two major political parties, the majority of elected and candidate Republicans have decided to court the small, but very vocal, anti-sex conservative crowd. Whether or not they believe it, they have absolutely adopted a widely unpopular anti-sex agenda. Their political bargain continues to result in setting their sights on reproductive freedom, contraception, and rolling back LGBTQ+ rights. Not to mention the shameful attack on transgender people, especially transgender kids.
This June, let’s celebrate… BUT, when you vote come November, remember it is critical to ask yourself: Does the person I am voting for see me as a lesser human being and do they believe they have the right to police my sex life? If the answer is yes, don’t vote for them.
This is an unprecedented time of polarization and is pushing us to step into the darkness of hate. Let’s be clear, the attacks on sexual and reproductive freedom are part of an attack on hard fought advances in democracy and the enfranchisement of women, BIPOC and LGBTQ+ citizens. Tell politicians and anti-sex conservatives to get out of our bedrooms. Whether you’re at the ballot box or a Pride parade, be proud and be loud.