And, yet, sometimes, with some people who are incapable of accepting, let alone celebrating, us, tolerance is the optimum expectation. Tolerance has never been enough for any marginalized community. Tolerance (which has long been considered a positive and admirable attitude) means that they’re “putting up with us.” They accept that we exist, but they don’t necessarily accept us (let alone celebrate us) or even make the effort to understand us for who we are. For me, Pride is less about being celebrated by society at large, which is in large part simply commerce in action (like Halloween or Valentines Day) and more about LGBTQ+ folks announcing our own dignity in a communal celebration of our true selves.