Why is pride forced? I just want to be normal and blend in, I don't understand why I should be proud about something I have no control over.

Pride is not about being proud about your sexuality or gender identity, that's simply how you're born, it's not a "merit". It's about being proud of living your identity openly and freely, despite all the hate and discrimination that LGBT people still must face. That's worth celebrating! But you don't have to go to pride parades if you don't want - living freely is all about doing only what you want to do. There are hundreds of ways to live your identity openly.

Pride is, perhaps, not well named. In a way, Pride is a protest. It's a way of saying "we deserve to be here." In another way, it's about safety and community. We talk about the LGBTQ community, but it's not like you walk down to 3rd street and you're in "The Community." Pride is an opportunity to get together with the rest of the community especially because we do tend to blend in the rest of the year. There's something about it, going outside and flaunting something you don't advertise the rest of the time. It's freedom, it's love, and it's family. A lot of people are forceful about it, because its something central to their lives and they want to share it.