For [Senior Airman Matthew Byrd], his family has been accepting but remains uncomfortable with the knowledge of his sexuality, and like so many, their views on homosexuality are the byproduct of stereotypes…

Growing up, he was outgoing and because of this experienced daily harassment and slander from homophobic students in school regardless of how athletic, friendly or supportive he was to others…

“For me, this month is a celebration of equality for all not just LGBs. We are celebrating that we are all equal. When this all first started we were given briefings and an online course but Laughlin is standing at the forefront and saying ‘we are all equal, race, religion and sexuality,’ all of it.”

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