13 Moments That Made Us Proud To Be Queer In 2015

Following the legalization of same-sex marriage nationwide, there were, of course, backlash and protests. Anti-LGBT bigots reared their heads at a celebration of the ruling, and one seven-year-old named Zea in Ohio was not taking the hate lightly.

She marched right up to a preacher ranting at her through a microphone, and stood strong while waving a rainbow flag in his face.

"Zea didn't just flash the flag at that hatemonger, and bail. They went toe to toe, for several minutes, while he bellowed all of his fire and brimstone right in her face," her father wrote on Facebook. "Grown man vs first grader. She told me afterward that she did feel scared. The one thing the people of #‎comfest2015 never let her feel though? Alone."

Your courage is so special and amazing, Zea!

An amazing group of students came together in October to drive Westboro Baptist Church away from their campus after they gathered to protest the recent election of a transgender girl, Landon, as homecoming queen.

"This isn't just about supporting Landon, this is about supporting all our students," said Christina Palermo, an organizer for the rally. "Landon is just their scapegoat. They're attacking everyone in the LGBT community."

The students continued chanting "long live the queen!" after Westboro ran off with their tail between their legs.

An unidentified subway rider in New York City shut down a homophobic preacher in January by drowning out his hate with a beautiful rendition of "I've Got A Golden Ticket" from "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory."

The subway hero's actions were applauded by his fellow mass transit passengers -- and us too!

Shortly following the coming out of Caitlyn Jenner, a group of kids were shown photos of the celebrity during her days as an Olympic athlete when the world knew her by a different name, as well as one of the images released in conjunction with Jenner's famed Vanity Fair cover.

The reactions made us hopeful for both the future and the way that transgender people will hopefully be treated by the next generation. One young girl stated, "who she wants to be is who she should be" while another wondered aloud "what if this were happening to me? What if I was the one coming through this?"

Check out the video above to hear the reactions for yourself.

In October, the hate group One Million Moms launched an attack on toy company Mattel for an LGBT-inclusive representation of family in their American Girl magazine with a girl named Amaya and two adoptive gay dads.

In response, Amaya and her dads conducted an interview with The Washington Post where they fired back at One Million Moms. "This is our family and it works for us," one of the fathers told the station. "And you know what? We have four amazing kids that we adopted out of foster care. These are four kids that have fulfilled our life more than we ever thought. And so, the Million Moms, I say to them, 'You know what? Go to your local foster care agency. Those kids could really use your help. And not worry about the Scheer family.'"

But the best -- and simplest response -- came from Amaya herself: "I would say, 'This is none of your business.'"

Love really is what defines family.