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Hi- Pride to me means community. It means creating a sense of safety, comfort, and the confidence of being who you are as an individual. Pride Month means expressing who you are and who you love freely. Pride is a celebration—it's a chance to spread the joy of being ourselves as much as it is an opportunity to stand up to make our voices heard. As a young queer person growing up in Florida, I know how scary it can feel to fully be yourself. But we cannot let that stop us from enjoying and celebrating our community while fighting to protect it. Our young LGBTQ+ communities have witnessed our gun violence crisis firsthand: Guns are the leading cause of death among children and teens, so the fight to create a future free from gun violence will take all of us. I work to end gun violence in my community because I believe that everyone has a right to feel safe anywhere and everywhere, including our LGBTQ+ communities. This week marks 9 years since the tragic shooting at an LGBTQ+ safe space, Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida, where 49 people were shot and killed, dozens more injured, and lives changed forever. The tragedy at Pulse showed how a person with a gun and filled with hate can harm people who were just being themselves in a place where they should have been able to feel safe. We all deserve to grow up in a safe environment where we aren't waiting for the next round of gunfire. And that's why Pride is so important: It's a celebration of our queer joy and creates a space for people to be who they are and find a community where they feel safe. And it's a show of force for the LGBTQ+ community, especially in times when we are under attack. Our pride is what makes our community resilient. No matter our hardships, we are there for one another, and we deserve to celebrate that not just in June, but every month of the year. That's why as a Students Demand Action volunteer, I've worked to empower young queer activists by taking action, sharing my story, using my voice, and encouraging them to use theirs. To my fellow queer youth in this movement: be proud. Thank you for being in this movement, Chloe Wilcox  |
