Why Alex Palou's Pride Livery Is One Of Inclusion & Not Division

It is now June 1st and while everyone is finally catching our breath from all the action at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, it is now time to focus on Le Mans and the 6 Hours at the Glen. While doing so, the racing community has a small percentage of LGBT members (myself included) who are celebrating a month of pride.

Alex Palou revealed a livery just after the Sonsio Grand Prix that resembled DHL Pride and a connection to all of us who are LGBT in the paddock area. Now while that livery was one of my personal favorites for a number of reasons, let's dive into why this is very important.

And keep in mind, I am writing this as a fellow gay person here. The reason why a pride month exists for LGBT people and let's say not for straight people is solely because for over a 1000+ years, the common straight white man did not have to fight for rights, face discrimination, persecution, exclusion, and even imprisonment.

Let's lay out some facts for those who still don't get it.

1. You are born gay. No person in their 20s and 30s decides to randomly come out of the closet saying "Hey you know what...I'm going to like men just to be different". That just doesn't happen. You know the reasons why they come out that late in their life? It's because they don't accept that fact, they face discrimination, they fear to be judged by their peers, or even worse, their family doesn't accept them. No straight man or woman has to fear that.

2. Transgender people are just like you and me. When a female transitions to male, their body may be female, but their brains are wired to conform more to a straight man than a lesbian female. So with that fact, why is there hate for these people? People want to say being trans is a mental illness. You want to know what else is a mental illness? Depression, anxiety disorders, OCD, etc. I have all of those. It's part of who we are. I would much rather be friends with someone who questions their gender to give them someone who supports them rather than someone who openly hates.

3. Let's address the question of why are there way more gay people in 2024 than lets say 1964. That myth is going to be busted (shout out to the Myth Busters show) with me saying that there are more "Openly" gay people. That's right just as many gay people existed in the 60's and 50's as today. Only difference...they can openly express who they are. We are much smarter as a society than what we were 60 years ago.

With all this being said, I am glad racing series like IndyCar and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway are finally acknowledging us. The speedway has been welcoming people of all colors and ways of life since it opened in 1909, no reason to stop now.

And to close, if you or someone you know is struggling to come out of the closet, talk to a trusted friend or ask for my email. I'm always open to talk to someone. You're not in this alone.