Every year, as Pride Month approaches, the public conversation always revisits an apparent favourite, with many celebrating enthusiastically, while some others question the need for it. This year, the conversation started a bit earlier, as newly elected MP Conrad Borg Manche expressed his doubts about the annual celebration.

First of all, I don't wish to demonise the colleague. I feel we have a lot more in common than matters that we disagree upon, and I trust that finding common ground, and areas where we can collaborate and grow together, is always a better idea. Having said that, I cannot not express my views on the matter, as it is a subject which is very close to heart.

As a member of the LGBTIQ+ community, I find Pride to be a very important celebration, which goes beyond the floats and colourful costumes. It is an occasion for people to come together and celebrate who they are, celebrate the achievements we have secured as a community and a nation, and remember those who are not with us to do so.

Most importantly, Pride is about visibility, and that's what matters most. There was a time when members of the LGBTIQ+ community had none. They suffered in silence, forced to live double lives, and felt that their place in society was conditional on pretending to be someone else. Tragically, there were also those who never lived to see the progress that has since been achieved.

So why continue celebrating, when we have come so far? Why have a flamboyant and over the top parade (guilty as charged!), when we live in a country that thankfully, has come such a long way?

It's because human rights and democracy are not a battle you win once - they are a continuous struggle that we need to uphold. The minute we stop talking about human rights, the minute we stop shouting and celebrating the freedoms that make us who we are, we risk sliding back, and that is something no one wants. We have seen this happening too many times in too many places in recent years. Not in developing countries, but in sophisticated democracies, the beacons of freedom. We are no more special than them, and we should heed this warning.

Allow me an analogy. If Christians are no longer persecuted by Roman Emperors, why do we need churches and feasts? If we are no longer being bombarded by fascists, why do we celebrate Victory Day every May? Because they are important. Because they are an opportunity to remember the hard times we went through, and not to take any of our freedoms lightly or for granted.

I find that in Pride celebrations there is more that can bring us together, than drive us apart. We are all humans, brothers and sisters, struggling to make a living, trying to find purpose in our lives, trying to create connections and live meaningful healthy lives after all.

Whether you wear a suit, or a sequinned ball gown and a wig to work, you are most likely to have a bank loan, have to pay energy bills, get stuck in traffic, and find a queue at the hospital ER.

At an age when we supposedly have an elevated understanding and sensitivity of mental health matters, let's not take anything for granted, and let's be more sensitive with our statements. We have far more in common than we realise.

This is why I believe it is possible to celebrate diversity while also recognising our common humanity, because one does not come at the expense of the other. In fact, they strengthen each other.