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I have deep respect for anyone choosing sobriety, sober curiosity, moderation, or simply a more conscious relationship with substances. Not because it makes them morally superior. It doesn’t. But because it often requires a kind of courage this community does not always know how to celebrate.

La independencia, para nosotros, nunca fue algo que se declaró una sola vez y quedó resuelto. Se ha ido negociando en incrementos: un fallo sobre el matrimonio por aquí, una ordenanza municipal por allá, una política laboral en otro lado; un frágil sentido de seguridad que todavía depende demasiado de en qué frontera estatal, sistema familiar, iglesia, lugar de trabajo o vecindario te encuentres parado.

A medida que las celebraciones del Orgullo llenan el Valle de Coachella durante todo el verano, también vemos un aumento en las fiestas de alberca y eventos centrados en el agua, la conexión y la comunidad. Pero para muchas personas trans y de género expansivo, estos espacios pueden venir acompañados de ansiedad, miedo y vulnerabilidad. 

Sacred Wounds is a weekly LGBTQ+ only support group for individuals who were impacted by religion—whether you grew up within a religious or spiritual system or experienced religion as a powerful presence in your family, caregivers, or home environment. For many, these influences shaped identity, self-worth, and belonging in painful, confusing, or harmful ways.

Coming out was not a single moment for me. It was a slow, internal reckoning. There were no visible role models in Las Vegas at the time. No openly lesbian public figures lighting the way. If there were others like me, they were navigating the same fear, the same coded language. It still took me until I was 38 to officially come out!

Lately, I’ve been reflecting deeply on queer joy: what it means to me, and how it ripples through our community and our loved ones.

I am the son of an incredibly resilient,  strong black woman who understood the power of community.

For many of us, coming out is both an act of courage and a lifelong process. Each disclosure is a leap of faith, a hope that the person on the other side will hold our truth with care. And yet, coming out is only half the story.
What if we focused on the idea of coming in?

Ser parte del comité de planificación realmente cambió mi perspectiva sobre los asuntos LGBTQ+ en el Este del Valle de Coachella. Siempre había pensado que todos los eventos LGBTQ+ estaban fuera de mi alcance, ocurriendo demasiado lejos para que yo pudiera ser parte de ellos. Cuando llegó el Orgullo del ECV, empecé a darme cuenta de que tenía más comunidad cerca de casa.