No, Pride Is Not a Sin. We Are Simply Looking for Family.

People often search questions like: What is Pride? What is Pride Month? Is Pride a sin? or What does the A stand for in LGBTQIA+?

The internet can provide millions of standard definitions. But definitions are rarely the reason people ask these questions—behind them is often something much more personal. It is a question about identity, a question about belonging, and a question about whether there is a place in this world where someone can truly be accepted.

For me, that is what Pride has always been about. Not politics. Not trends. Not attention. It is about belonging.

What Does the A Stand for in LGBTQIA+?

The "A" in LGBTQIA+ commonly stands for Asexual, Aromantic, and Agender, while the "I" stands for Intersex.

These words describe different human experiences, identities, and ways of moving through the world. But beyond technical definitions, there is a shared human desire that connects many of us: the desire to be understood, the desire to be seen, and the desire to be loved without having to hide who we are.

Is Pride a Sin?

This is one of the most searched questions related to Pride. My answer is simple: No, Pride is not a sin. Not the Pride that I know.

Because the Pride I know is not about believing we are better than anyone else. It is not arrogance, it is not superiority, and it is not self-worship.

The True Meaning of Pride

The Pride I know is what happens after years of shame. It is the moment someone finally decides they will stop apologizing for existing. It is the courage to say:

• "This is who I am."

• "I deserve dignity."

• "I deserve respect."

• "I deserve to live honestly."

I cannot believe that the search for dignity is a sin. I cannot believe that the search for love is a sin. And I cannot believe that the search for family is a sin.

When Home Does Not Feel Like Home

Not everyone grows up feeling accepted, safe, or seen. Some people are lucky enough to be born into families that embrace them completely. Others spend years hoping for a conversation that never happens—years hoping to be understood, and years hoping to feel at home.

I know what that feels like. I know what it feels like to be surrounded by people and still feel alone. I know what it feels like to wonder whether somewhere out there exists a group of people who would truly understand you. Not tolerate you, not judge you, and not try to change you—but simply welcome you.

What Is Chosen Family?

A chosen family is a non-biological network of people defined not by blood, but by conscious love, support, mutual respect, and unconditional acceptance.

It is the people who stay. The people who call when life becomes difficult, the people who celebrate your victories as if they were their own, and the people who remind you that you matter.

For many LGBTQIA+ people, a chosen family becomes a lifeline. But this idea is not exclusive to the LGBTQIA+ community; millions of people understand it. It lives within people who moved away from home, people who lost family members, and people who never felt understood by the families they were born into. It is for everyone searching for connection, searching for home, and searching for family.

We Want Our Family

This is perhaps the most important thing I want to say. Whether you are LGBTQIA+ or not, whether you are religious or not, whether you are young or old, and whether you have always felt accepted or have spent your entire life searching for belonging: We are not asking for perfection.

We are not asking everyone to agree with us, and we are not asking to be treated as more important than anyone else. We simply want family.

A Sanctuary Built on Shared Values

We are looking for a place where people support one another, a place where people choose kindness over judgment, and a place where people choose understanding over fear. We need a place where people can be honest about who they are, and where nobody has to earn their right to belong.

Because deep down, I believe most of us are searching for the same thing. Not victory, not status, not approval. Family. Real family. The kind built on trust, the kind built on care, the kind built on shared values, and the kind built on love.

And if there is any message behind Pride, behind belonging, and behind everything we create at Essenza Verda, it is this:

• May every person find people who see them.

• May every person find people who choose them.

• May every person find a place that finally feels like home.

May every person find their family.