What if you woke up one morning and found out, you no longer exist. In the present environment every morning we wake up not knowing if we are still seen, able to be heard, and if we are continuing to be validated as 100% humans. This story may ring true for you if you are part of the LGBTQIA+ community or an ally. It is the idea that if somewhere under the rainbow there exists all of these different types of people than somewhere in our society all of these people should fit, because they too belong here. This is the story of a young woman who recounts the strong relationship she had growing up with her mother who told her, encouraged her, to be an independent thinker and reminded her that the way she saw the world was just fine. But when she unexpectedly loses her mother to an accident and must walk alone in her own skin she taps into the comfort and the strength that her mother gave her all her life. She doesn't believe in hiding in boxes or putting herself or anyone else in the closet. She would rather continue to use her voice to make sure it is heard, respected, and well understood that, not only does she exist but she thrives. So, in an effort to continue making her mother proud she stands up for herself all through high school. Asserting herself in front of her bullies and making sure to educate along the way. None of us should be erased. The removal of historical people, experiences and layers of what the rainbow represent is a way to erase, silence and cancel who groups of people. A story that reminds us it’s okay to be different and it is absolutely okay to be exactly who you are, because no one who breathes air should worry about a society where they could potentially be erased. Forgotten. Nonexistent for generations to come.
Erased
The most difficult species to understand is, any guesses? Correct, people in all of the years of my life I have come to the conclusion, this one very specific and very true conclusion that the most difficult group of species that has blood pumping through their veins is actually… us. Maybe it's because we can't truly communicate or understand what another species is going through but we can stand on the shore of the ocean and see a whale and find its beauty and in the same breath put it and a man-made pool of water and charge people to watch it do tricks. Sometimes I feel like we just have to say things out loud so that other people can actually hear what people like me feel. I don't do tricks. I can't swim fast, but I'm definitely on the endangered species list.
