Another June has rolled around, and while I wish I could be fully beaming with joy to celebrate Pride, this month arrives with a complicated mix of emotions for me.
Our country is an exhausting place to exist right now as a queer person (or as a woman, a person of color, or anyone from a marginalized group, for that matter). It feels as if every day brings yet another rage-inducing attack on human rights, courtesy of our current federal administration.
This hostile political climate continues to give permission to the most homophobic and transphobic among us to actually speak the hateful things that they think out loud — or worse, to commit acts of violence against their fellow human beings.
Though I will always remain deeply proud of myself and my family, celebrating with the carefree spirit I long for just isn’t realistic. In an ideal world, I’d love to take my wife and children to public Pride events, confident that we would all arrive home safely. But then again, in an ideal world, Pride month wouldn’t be as critically important as it still is in 2025.
But alas, here are my hopes for this Pride (and beyond):
To my queer community: I hope you are able to celebrate yourselves boldly, without fear (unlikely, I know, but a girl can dream). I hope you know that you matter and deserve to take up space.
To our allies: I hope you continue to have the courage to stand up to those with hate in their hearts and help educate those with misguided fear. I hope you know how deeply appreciated and vital you are.
To the quiet “allies”: I hope that you use this month to venture out of your comfort zone and use your voice for what you know is right. I hope you realize that the time for silence has long passed. I hope you know we need your visible and vocal support now more than ever.
READ: It’s Okay to Put Aside Your (Other Kind of) Pride
To the others: I hope that you take this month as an opportunity to genuinely listen (without defensiveness) to queer voices and their stories. I hope you challenge yourself to consider why you are still clinging to the belief that those who are different from you are less deserving of human rights and dignity. I hope you come to see that who we love, or how we choose to present ourselves to the world, is not the only thing that defines us as human beings.
To my children: I hope that you will continue feeling proud of your two-mom family and remain blissfully unaware of the hateful words and actions of others for as long as possible.
Happy Pride Month, y’all.
We support you, and are raising children who know that “love is love,” which may look different for each family.