Happy Pride, my poppets! It’s the season of love and acceptance. Don’t just limit it to June though, take the sentiment beyond this month as well. Anyway, Pride Month is all about learning what love truly means and taking pride in your identity and sexuality. But it is also the time when you get to learn what real acceptance means, darlin’. And Madam Eve is here to give you a quick, easy-peasy lesson. If you have a friend, family member, classmate, or anyone else in your life who comes out to you about their identity and sexuality, you gotta follow some rules on how to respond. My darlin’ peeps of the LGBTQIA+ community already have a hard time, and if you cishet lovelies make it harder for them, Madam Eve is going to crack the whip. So, here’s my infinite wisdom for you to follow.

Related: Why Is Pride Month Celebrated? Here’s A Quick Lesson On LGBTQIA+ History

Listen

Yep, that’s all you gotta do. Easy peasy, no? Stay mum and let the other person say what they want to. Let them tell you all about their identity or their sexuality or whatever it is they are trying to share with you. But, please for the love of Eros, if your friend or family member comes out to you as queer, don’t say something stupid like, ‘Oh, that’s a psychological issue. You’ll be fine soon.’

Give them a hug

See, another easy way to respond to someone who just came out to you. Just say, ‘Okay, darlin’, I got your back’ and give them a tight hug. But first, ask for permission to hug them.

Don’t make assumptions

You know what they say about the word ‘assume’, it makes an ass out of you and me. And you don’t want to become an ass now, do you, sugar? So, just because your friend came out to you, don’t just assume that they are interested in you. They are not, they just want to share something innately personal with you.

Give them a safe space

If someone is coming out to you, it’s because they trust you. So, provide them with the safe space they need. Don’t be judgemental, don’t make harsh comments, just give them the freedom to share their story and their problems. Also, be a darling and don’t push them for more info.

Be open to a conversation

It’s okay if you don’t understand what your friend is saying when they come out to you. If you are open to learning and to a conversation, your friend will feel heard and appreciated. Got that?

Don’t preach conversion therapy to them

Do your homosexual or trans friends come to you and try to convert you into a gay or trans person? They don’t, right? So, don’t preach your “conversion therapies” to them either. It helps no one.

Don’t tell them to hide their identity

Poppet, just because you haven’t faced an identity crisis and had a breezy time with your existence, it doesn’t mean other people are the same. People of the LGBTQIA+ community struggle to come to terms with who they are, not because it’s abnormal, but because they don’t get enough support or representation in the media. So, if a friend comes out to you, don’t go around telling them that they should keep it a secret in front of their parents or the rest of your friend group. That’s you being a shitty friend, sugar, and Madam Eve has taught you better than that.

My dear loves, it’s very easy to respond when someone comes out to you. None of the things I have told you cost any money or effort. And if you still don’t follow these simple steps that even a five-year-old kid can follow, you really do deserve Madam Eve’s whip!

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