I was invited by President Biden to the White House on Wednesday evening to celebrate pride amongst some of the most incredible LGBTQIA+ leaders, trailblazers, and elected officials. Over 300 anti-LGBTQIA+ bills were introduced all across America this year. As a disabled transgender individual from Florida, going to school was difficult even many years ago for me, so it’s hard to imagine that it’s even worse today. Florida was never a safe place to be queer. That experience forever shaped me. Though I no longer call Florida home, a part of my heart remains with those queer kids facing this hostile leadership. It can feel extremely hard to keep pushing forward against constant resistance, especially when we see individuals like the 31 white supremacists planning to commit harm at a pride event in Idaho— (that have thankfully been arrested). But the energy and emotion in that room the other night was palpable. This is something that can become lost in translation through a screen. I was surrounded by people who work every single day to take action against these constant moving targets. Yes, we continue to face barriers despite constant efforts, but one thing we all had in common on this night was hope: I was honored to listen to recent high school graduate, Javier Gomez, from my home state, recount the walkout he staged in response to bill 1557 signed by DeSantis. I was honored to watch President Biden, just a few feet away from me, sign a historic executive order protecting LGBTQIA+ Americans. This order is meant to counter all of the recent legislative attacks on our community. And I was honored to speak with Emily Voorde @shortyvoorde, the Biden Administration’s liaison to Disabled Americans in the White House Office of Public Engagement about how we can include queer disabled Americans in these conversations. I feel so lucky to have been able to engage in these conversations on such a large scale and I’m absolutely determined to continue them and see it through that my communities thrive. I want to continue to see disabled and queer individuals make it to positions of power. We need action and we need it now. We must protect our youth.