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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.

¿Cómo podría olvidar el momento en que mi hermana confesó que le gustaban las chicas? Estábamos entre clases—yo en tercer grado y ella en cuarto. Recuerdo haberla aceptado tal como es. En mi inocencia, no existía el juicio. Solo acepté su verdad. Sin dudar. Sin preguntar. Sin juzgar. Solo aceptación y amor.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Mother’s Day just so happens to be in May as well, so I am going to share a story about my mom and the topic of mental health.

April is Volunteer Appreciation Month—a time to recognize the people who help bring our mission to life every single day. At The LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert, volunteers are more than helpers; they are co-creators of the vibrant, welcoming community we envision—where LGBTQ+ people can thrive and live authentically in supportive, inclusive spaces.

I read a great post on Instagram this week that was a beautiful reminder and validated so many of my current feelings. Trey (@whatsonemorepothos) said “trans people do more than die” and called for a collective response rooted in abolition where we look inside of ourselves and between us interpersonally to change beliefs and behaviors. Anyone consuming media of any kind right now knows that we are witnessing violent attacks and attempted erasure of our trans histories and identities.