Pride, what it means, and all of its beautiful and honest joy, cannot be contained in a mere month, moment, or experience. It is, at its core, the expression of authentic love. It is acceptance of oneself. It is the embracing of love in its infinite forms.
When you exist from a space of genuine expression, you are embodying love itself. That is powerful. It is transformative. It is necessary for healing.
While we know all of this to be true, we also know that the world we live in doesn’t make the process of embracing our true selves easy. It causes what should be joy to become fear. Fear for lack of safety, fear for misunderstanding, and fear that we are broken. This is why Pride must be a celebration. A defiant stance against this oppression. But we cannot ignore the heaviness and sacrifice that is interwoven. By acknowledging our society’s shortcomings, we hope to lessen and ultimately eliminate them.
So in the midst of celebrating pride—whether that looks like a colorful pin on your backpack or purse, walking in a parade, expressing your grief and hope, or simply allowing yourself to consider your own identity—we want to explore how this all lends itself to what you and everyone in the LGBTQIA+ community need and deserve.
Representation + Safety
Have you ever seen a rainbow flag and thought, “Oh, I’m safe to be myself here”? We really hope you have. Maybe it was walking into a restaurant or perhaps entering into your new therapist’s office. That blatant acceptance can be the difference between opening up and shutting down. In order to explore our pain, heartache, and traumas, there’s a vital foundation that needs to be set: safety. You need to be and to feel safe.
Affirming Care + Empathy
There is something so monumental about being validated, about someone else supporting and understanding what you are feeling and experiencing. It cracks through the isolation. It chips away at the separateness. When another person sees and affirms who you are and how you feel, the heartache can ebb, and hope for healing is given the chance to bloom. So as you find the courage to reach out for support, may you be met with compassion and a willingness to listen and learn.
Pride in Your Love + Identity
To deny your love is to deny the very thing that makes us human. To deny your identity is to deny your self. These things are innately part of us as a collective, and a part of you as an integral piece of the whole. To love is to connect, and connection with one another is essential to our souls just as oxygen is necessary for our bodies. Your love should not be discouraged. To identify is to know yourself, it is the opportunity for us as individuals to explore and evolve in ways that bring us healing and belonging. Your identity should not be up for debate.
All of this supports the truth that celebrating pride is suicide prevention. People shouldn’t feel ashamed. People shouldn’t feel wrong. People shouldn’t feel unwelcome. Those emotions, however, are valid. We do not discredit their warrant whatsoever. But know that here, with us, you don’t need to feel any of those things. Because we are so glad you’re here. We celebrate you today, this month, and always.
Our Pride Collection has arrived. Proceeds from this collection will help us fund Treatment & Recovery Scholarships for those in the LGBTQIA+ community. A safe space to work through mental health struggles can mean the difference between hopelessness and healing. It can be a life-saving reminder that there are people who care and want to see you thrive. You deserve to feel fully loved and known.
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You are welcome here. All of you. Remember that—always. We encourage you to use TWLOHA’s FIND HELP Tool to locate professional help and to read more stories like this one here. If you reside outside of the US, please browse our growing International Resources database. You can also text TWLOHA to 741741 to be connected for free, 24/7 to a trained Crisis Text Line counselor. If it’s encouragement or a listening ear that you need, email our team at [email protected].
Michelle
This is beautiful. There is so much negativity and hate thinking that LGBTQ+ is strictly about who they love. Pride needs to get the spotlight on the fact that it’s about self love, and being comfortable with who we are without being a fake person. It has nothing to do with sexuality, everything about being unique and acceptance, not trying to fit into a box with everyone else
Jill
I think it’s great for what you do to help others. I am 60 years old and I wish I had this kind of support when I was younger. I spent my younger years fighting my addictions and depression on my own but made it through. Thank you for being here for those who struggle.