Calling a trans person by their former name is referred to as "deadnaming" and is considered highly offensive to most trans people I know.

Please Mr. Trump: Say what you mean. Mean what you say.

Being LGBT is not a choice. It's not about "a sexual proclivity." It's not a "lifestyle," as you put it. It's about our identity. Pride is a time when we come together to celebrate our community and when others do, too. Just as we do for other racial, ethnic, and religious groups that are part of the "tossed salad" nature of our society.

To parents who find a child's disclosure about sexual or gender identity challenging, I always urge what I'd call "moderated" honesty. If you can't say "I love you," then say something like, "I'm going to need some time to digest this news." Buy time this way. And then think.

I keep reading that Donald Trump is the most pro-LGBT GOP presidential nominee of all time - and I actually think that's true.

As for LGBTQ people supporting Donald Trump (or other Republicans), I do understand that some of them value his stances on immigration, climate change (I should say "the war on coal"), and the economy over those of equality, fairness, and justice.

What really surprised me was that more than half of all deaths by gunshot are suicides, more than 20,000 a year, about 58 a day.