Today is Lesbian Day of Visibility, a day when we celebrate and uplift every lesbian, no matter where they live or how they identify.
Today is a day of joy, yes, but this celebration goes much deeper. We are celebrating being out, proud, and seen – things that often don’t come without pain and sacrifice.
To me, being out and visibly queer is a way to continue towards progress, as representation of the complex identities within the LGBTQ community is vital to the well-being of queer individuals.
I know this firsthand. I am a lesbian whose middle and high school years were during the 2010s. I also grew up in a suburb of Boise, ID, a place heavily influenced by conservative politics and the Mormon religion.