The month of June is upon us once again, bringing with it the dual arrays of LGBTQ pride and the various voices of those opposed.

This year, no flags will be flown in Triangle Park and no crosswalks will be painted rainbow downtown. There will still be a Pride celebration at the end of the month, but all things considered, it’ll be more muted than usual this year.

Some people will be happy about that. Others, less so.

An AP story published in Friday’s paper, on page A7, summarized new Pew research data that outlines the current state of public acceptance toward the queer community.

“Pew found that about 6 in 10 LGBTQ+ adults said there is “a great deal” or “a fair amount” of social acceptance in the U.S. for gay and lesbian people. Only about 1 in 10 said the same for nonbinary and transgender people — and about half said there was “not much” or no acceptance at all for transgender people.

Only about 1 in 10 transgender people reported feeling accepted by their extended family, compared with about 3 in 10 gay or lesbian people.

But the younger trans people she [Aubrey Campos, who runs a taco truck in Fort Worth, Texas] works with often have very different experiences — including some who were kicked out of their homes.”

While this story focused on transgender issues — which have been spotlighted under the second Trump administration — there is also reporting by Gallup which has found that support for gay marriage has slipped among Republicans from 55 percent a few years ago to just 41 percent now.

Make no mistake, this is still an improvement from even just ten or fifteen years ago, when support from even independents — which now numbers 76 percent — was below the halfway point.

Still, we must remember that behind these numbers are real people — friends, neighbors, coworkers — who want nothing more than the chance to live freely and love and exist openly without fear. Pride month, in all its color and jubilation, is an annual reminder to honor those simple, but profound human desires.

There are a few points we want to make here, if you’ve stayed with us this far.

— There is no cure for prejudice quite like understanding. We encouraged people last year in an editorial to attend the Clinton County Pride Alliance event, even if you “don’t get it” or “find it gross” or whatever other euphemism people like to use. We repeat that call this year as well. Talk to LGBTQ people of all stripes. Hear their experiences, and see their joy when surrounded by their peers in a supportive environment. And in these conversations, let compassion be your compass. Let curiosity and empathy lead you to discover not a political identity, but our shared humanity.

— Know that although there are some thorny issues in our modern world, these people have always existed, if you examine the historical record, and will thus always exist. The only thing new about it is acceptance and a public life — to which we should all be entitled; and the only difference between acceptance and abjuration is in the quality of their lives.

— We ask you to choose joy — the joy of seeing a neighbor celebrated rather than shamed, the joy of affirming life’s infinite variations rather than demanding conformity. We ask you to choose humanity — the simple recognition of another’s dignity and worth, regardless of how they live or who they love.

Some people are fond of calling us liberal, and we suspect this editorial will result in similar opinions and accusations — an unfortunate reality of the moment in time in which we live and write.

You are welcome to whatever opinion you wish to hold. We will continue covering local events, informing the public and providing a broad array of viewpoints as best as we can, all the same.

However, we wish to emphasize that we believe that wanting our town to be welcoming and inclusive is not a partisan position and should not be considered as such.

It’s not liberal or conservative, Democrat or Republican.

It’s human.

Ultimately, every single one of us is living the best life we know how to live in accordance with our upbringings, environment and beliefs. We would wager nobody wakes up in the morning going, alright, how can I be a horrible person today?

And at that point, why choose to make people miserable?

Happiness is contagious, and there is not nearly enough of it these days.

As we celebrate Pride month — and every month — let’s not forget: Pride is not a partisan issue; it’s a commitment to the basic dignity of humanity. Let that be the legacy we carry forward together.

Be a good person. Live a happy life. Everything else is between you and your Creator — not you and your Neighbor.