To be completely transparent, this Pride, I’ve been a mess. My depression has reared its ugly head for months now, and everything seemed to keep snowballing down the hill until it was an insurmountable obstacle I felt like I couldn’t overcome. On top of that, with everything going on in the country, our rights under attack, our climate getting worse, our leaders too scared to lead, it’s so easy to feel helpless. It’s easy to feel like we’re staring up at a mountain that just rolled us down a huge snowball, trying to figure out how to get back up to the top. Remember, Pride is and was a riot. Being your authentic self is a radical form of protest. We must not forget, in these scary times, that what they want is for us to stay silent and modify ourselves to fit their fascist, hateful, ultra-religious agenda. So, yes. I’ve been a mess this month. I’ve cried, I’ve stewed, I’ve canceled appointments because I didn’t have the mental energy - but I’ve also tried to focus on finding myself again. To realize my authentic self. To be one with the ghosts of queer elders who fought and fought and fought for us to have the rights we have today. Yes, this is a “thirst trap”, but this is also a reminder to myself and others to live boldly. Live the queerest life you can. Show the hateful bigots that we’re here and not going away. 🏳️‍🌈 📸: @rudepolaroids