Some of my greatest inspiration to be true to myself, to be and embrace my most authentic self, come from LGBTQIA+ people. With incredible and admirable courage, they desire and endeavour to be who they are, and that motivates me to do the same.
Pride doesn’t start at a parade. It starts in the quiet moment you decide not to hide. Pride is refusing to wear the mask society requires you to wear in order to fit in.
What Do You Want? is available for digital download.
Authenticity is an act of courage
For many, being yourself hasn’t been safe. It comes with risk: rejection, misunderstanding, even loss. So choosing honesty, even in small ways, is no small thing. Pride lives in those decisions. Pride lives in every step away from pretending and toward truth. It's about embracing the beauty of authenticity in others and ourselves.
There’s no one right way to belong
Not everyone celebrates loudly. Not everyone waves a flag. Some people are still figuring things out. Some are healing. Some are just surviving. Pride makes room for all of it. There’s no checklist for being “out enough” or “proud enough.” Being yourself, wherever you are, is enough.
Your existence challenges the lie
The lie says you should be different to be loved. The lie demands that you be a certain way in order to fit into the prescribed box of so-called "love" that is being offered. The lie says that you have to edit yourself to belong. But every time you show up as you are, you disrupt that narrative. You remind others, sometimes quietly, sometimes powerfully, that authenticity is not something to apologize for.
You can buy a print of You Don't Gotta Do Nuthin!
You don’t have to perform Pride.
You don’t have to prove anything.
The best way to celebrate Pride is to be yourself. Not someday. Not when it’s easier. But in whatever way you can, right now, because celebrating pride is so important!
