Pride is not just a party. It’s a protest. It’s love and rage. Joy and grief. Healing in public. Fighting for a future where we all belong. For most of my life, I hid who I was. Tried to be “good,” to be accepted. But no matter how much I contorted myself, it was never enough. I’ve known I was queer since I was a kid—maybe before I even had the words. But religion and shame told me it was a phase. That it’d fade. It never did. I came out years ago. Since then, I’ve been learning to live unapologetically. To love the younger me who thought she was broken, and remind her she was always worthy. This is what Pride means to me: Unlearning shame. Choosing community over conformity. Being so queer, so fully myself, that I make room for others to do the same. It was called the Stonewall Riots for a reason. Our rights weren’t gifted—they were fought for. And this year, Pride must return to its roots. We are still fighting: 🏳️‍⚧️ Trans rights under attack 📚 Queer books banned 📞 Youth lifelines shut down — support @trevorproject ⚖️ Gender-affirming care criminalized 🤰 In Georgia, Adriana Smith, a Black mother and nurse, was forced to remain pregnant after brain death. Her baby was delivered from her lifeless body. Her family paid the hospital bills. 🇵🇸 Pro-Palestinian voices are being silenced 🏳️‍🌈 Jonathan Joss, a beloved Native queer actor, was murdered. It still hasn’t been ruled a hate crime. ❄️ ICE is kidnapping people from Mexico, Central/South America, Haiti, Asia, and Africa. They’re caging humans in camps. Far-right extremists joke about feeding “65 million” to alligators—the number of Hispanics in the U.S. There’s no pride in silence. No pride in rainbow logos that vanish when things get hard. No pride in performative allyship. We honor the Black and brown trans women who led this movement by continuing the work. To every LGBTQ+ person: Existence is resistance To anyone still figuring it out: You are not alone Pride is collective power Let’s keep loving. Keep fighting. Keep building. Happy Pride 🌈💗 #nyc #nycpride