Pride 2024 has sashayed away now that we are in the month of July. But the celebration had many of our viewers giving pushback, and asking questions like what about recognizing men’s mental health awareness month? One of our viewers even shared stories on her social media –the video has since gone viral drumming up a rather hateful discussion.

Now, that viewer speaks with KUAM clearing the record and why she decided to upload the images onto her personal account.

A warning captioned at the very top... “Unpopular opinion”. The clip on Angel Orlino’s Instagram story sparked an online feud that’s gone viral and has gotten ugly, as Pride Month came to a close. "I’m not trying to be incentive," she said in her post. "If you get offended, that’s a personal problem."

Orlino passionate over the celebration for men’s mental health awareness month...or lack thereof. She said on her story, "A whole f*cking month of celebrating your f*cking sexuality."

Orlino, who works in the medical field, says her colleagues agree one thing was missing last month. She told KUAM News, "Some of my coworkers and male friends were expressing how men’s mental health wasn’t prioritized, nor was it acknowledged or recognized during the month of June."

Her sharp tone online was called out by several in LGBTQ+ community members as being “disrespectful, very self-opinionated,” adding she, “shouldn’t be putting Pride into shame like that.”

 

Orlino said, "People were calling me homophobic about it and misinterpreting the information about it, when it really wasn’t like that." Orlino telling us her rant was simply taken out of context, noting, "They had some selective hearing and I am not going to sugarcoat it, and I am going to come straight out."

"And if you’re going to attack the person and not the topic, that’s called a strawman fallacy, and everyone that is attacking me is hopping on that bandwagon. I have a brother who is gay. I have family members who are gay/ I have patients who are, and I love them dearly."

We showed some in the community Orlino’s video, with one person saying, "It's her language...I don't agree with those things."

"That's no good," another responded. Another neighbor shared, "She has a right to express her opinions about things and maybe she was really blunt about it, which could be offensive to some people."

While this is bringing attention to both the importance of Pride and mental health, still, it’s her delivery in those videos that had some raising the alarm.

She said, "I wish people were more aware of this than bashing me that I am homophobic, because I love everyone. I really do."

If you or anyone you know needs help, you can always call 988. Mental Health America recognizes June as Men’s Health Month, which highlights awareness on suicide, depression, anxiety, substance abuse and disorders.

We should note, the White House declared Mental Health Month in April. And locally, Adelup did the same declaring Mental Health Month in May.

On the flip side, both the American president and Guam’s governor proclaimed June as Pride Month, highlighting the 65-year battle for the LGBTQ+ community, which includes the physical, legal, and mental health restrictions faced to this day.