Pride Month has begun! 🏳️‍🌈

With the celebrations kicking off, I want to take a moment to celebrate and reassert every single letter in our beautiful LGBTQ+ community.

Each letter has a story.

L is for Lesbian: placed first to honor the incredible care and leadership lesbians provided during the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis. G is for Gay: holding down the second spot. B is for Bisexual (though personally, I love the term Pansexual for its ultimate inclusivity!). T is for our Transgender siblings: whose place in this movement was forged by trailblazers like Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera—gone, but absolutely never forgotten. Q is for Queer or Questioning (Queer is my personal favorite).  The + encompasses our Intersex and Asexual family.

Every single one of you is vital, and you are so loved!

While we celebrate, it’s also a perfect time to shine a brighter spotlight on two letters that sometimes experience a bit of erasure: the B and the T.

Let’s start with the B.

Most people know Bisexual and Pansexual people exist, but there’s still a misconception that we’re just “halfway there” or “not all the way queer.” In reality, our capacity to love is wide open! We don’t just look past gender; we are uniquely attracted to the full spectrum of humanity.

I always think of a fun anecdote I heard once. Imagine a car with a gay man, a lesbian, a trans person, and a bisexual person. The gay man says, “I’d date one person in this car.” The lesbian says, “I’d date one person in this car.” The trans person says, “I’d date one person in this car.” And the bisexual person looks around and says, “Buckle up, because I’m down to date all of you!”

That’s the beauty of it: we see everyone. I’m not halfway to being a lesbian, nor am I just straight; I am fully, beautifully both. So if the attraction is there, let’s just talk about it!

Now, let’s talk about the T.

Our Transgender community members are the foundational pillars of our movement; without the brave souls at the Stonewall Riots, we wouldn’t have the rights we enjoy today. Yet, they often bear the heaviest brunt of societal pushback. The modern political “debates” surrounding trans lives can feel incredibly heavy and disheartening. It’s mind-boggling that in 2026, we still have to assert that our trans friends deserve the fundamental right to exist, thrive, and be seen as human. They deserve our fierce, unwavering protection.

Ultimately, Pride is about solidarity.

Let’s commit to showing up for one another. The B and the T (along with all our more marginalized letters) need the whole community’s backing. If you’re not sure how to start, staying informed is a beautiful first step. Learn the language that makes people feel safe, stand up when you hear harmful rhetoric, and show up for your peers the way you’d want them to show up for you.

We are one community. Let’s stay inclusive, stand together, and protect each other.

Happy Pride! 🏳️‍🌈