LGBTQIA+ Pride is just around the corner. June invokes something special in me that seems to only come around this time of year: a whole month dedicated to joy, love, belonging. Sure, normal life is fine. I find pockets of joy, love, belonging throughout the year. But Pride month is unique for the unashamed loudness of being queer and trans. The rainbows, the clever t-shirts (not the ones sold by Target) (note that queer and trans people were exploited for their designs), the layer of sweat that allows for more midriff baring crop tops and mesh. This is what my vision dream looks like in many ways.

This year, while the joy hasn’t been stolen and I’m definitely still planning to wear crop tops and mesh, the humidity feels more stifling and the risk of celebrating being queer and trans seems more salient.

It’s hard to feel free when militant groups of right-wing, white Christian nationalists are within sight.

Ever since Trump was elected, the lid that kept the hatred from spilling out was lifted. It always existed, but now they had the permission to be openly hateful. The once seemingly restrained acid has seeped into curriculum, into media, into families, and into social media.

Trolls are nothing new. In high school, I vowed to never visit 4chan if it meant dealing with them no matter what page you were on or what post you created. So it follows that Facebook, Instagram, and obviously Twitter and Reddit, have become a hotbed of devil’s advocates and unrelenting assholes that think it’s funny to comment the exact same gif on posts that weren’t even created for them.

I was recently invited to join the board for PRIDENTON, an organization that brings an anti-corporate, anti-racist, and accessible Pride to Denton, Texas with the ultimate goal of opening a community center. Immediately, I was thrilled to assist with social media and communications duties. I’ve dealt with my fair share of internet trolls thanks to my previous job as a communications strategist for a higher ed DEI division. But there was something different about the vitriol in the comments left on the release of this year’s calendar of events.

It probably had something to do with the frequency, the tone, and ultimately, the greater risk of violence from the individual commenting. It wasn’t so easy to separate nasty comments left by a faceless profile anymore.

You know what my takeaway was though? That if these trolls had the audacity to turn their hatred onto internet strangers like this, then not a single one of us queer and trans folk should feel like they should keep quiet. That they should dial it back and restrain the pride and joy that can never be eradicated.

Be just as loud and bold. I know you’re far more creative than hateful bigots. You too can have the audacity.

Obviously, there is a greater risk to our community–we’re not the ones pointing guns at largely unarmed groups and stripping away the rights of human beings. Please practice awareness and always make sure you have a comrade there to support you. Furthermore, I ask that the folks who have more privilege than others in our community show up; embody the older sibling mentality, you know?

I just want to reassure you that your spirit and your presence can never be too loud and your light can never be too bright. You are enough. We need you.