Tremendous strides have been made recently towards marriage equality for all. In honor of LGBT National Pride Month, for SixContest #55 we asked you to share expressions of pride in Six Words. Many memoirs lauded the Supreme Court’s Obergefell v. Hodges ruling, while others shared their personal stories and the journeys of loved ones. As our nation celebrates Independence Day, what a great way to also celebrate progress towards equality! —Abbie Greenbaum

Our Top Six memoirs about Pride:

6. “Red. White. Blue: Finally a rainbow.” –takemeup15

5. “Facebook going viral cheering pride righteousness.” –toocooltobeme

4. “My sister is now my brother.” –McK_Merr
Backstory: “And I love him.”

3. “Open house and two moms, unflinching.” –Redx3

2. “Tchaikovsky, Poulenc, Britten, Bernstein, Barber, Menotti.” –@BPOrchestra (via Twitter)

And the Six Words and powerful backstory that get to the essence of pride in 2015: 

1. “He’s still my pride and joy.” –ADHDean
Backstory: “When my son came out to me, my response was pretty much ‘And…?’ I’d known he was gay before he figured it out. Sonny has always been a curious, enthusiastic and kindhearted person, and nothing has changed. He’s still my kid, still my firstborn, still my heart. His mother has pushed him away. Other family members have distanced themselves from him, and the pastor he had his entire life told him that God may choose to kill his little sister as a result of his sin, like God took King David’s son by Bathsheba (yes, people actually say things like this). Through it all, Sonny has maintained a positive attitude and has remained true to himself. If there is anything I’m proud of as a father, it’s that I have somehow managed to teach my kids to be themselves, no matter what other people think or say about them. What took me decades to learn seems natural to them, and for that I’m grateful.”

Congratulations to ADHDean and thanks to everyone who joined in the fun! Whether in our SixContests, on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr or at sixwordmemoirs.com—keep on Sixing!