Newsletter: Happy Pride!

Happy Pride!!🌈 Washington DC is the first place that's ever felt like home to me and that's in large part because of my amazing queer friend group who were the first people to make me feel like I truly belonged somewhere. If you know what it's like to feel like an outcast then you know how deeply impactful it is to be accepted in that way.

Exploring my identity beyond the false binaries of sexuality and gender continues to reveal new layers of myself to me, helping me along the path of #svadhyaya (self-study) and #ahimsa (compassion for others) Recognizing that the forces of femininity and masculinity, feeling and action, exist within each of us and bravely exploring that paradox is a radical and liberatory endeavor.

Zen priest Angel Kyodo Williams writes "The great fraud of the construct of whiteness is that it has coerced and convinced most white folks to no longer see their own oppression: by men over women, by straights over LGBT, by hetero fathers over their sons in arbitrating their masculinity, by capitalist values of personal acquisition over the personal freedom of one’s soul. white folks have been duped to trade their humanity for their privilege. the most insidious lie is that racism is a Black problem or colored folks problem. white folks wake up: not only oppressed people are complicit in oppression. it’s your problem, too." -Angel Kyodo Williams, Radical Dharma: Talking Race, Love, and Liberation

So Pride is certainly about more than rainbows and parties, but celebrating with those we love and joyfully authentically expressing ourselves to cultivate more fuel to foster change is important too.🌈❤️

If you feel called to donate with me to an organization making a difference in the LGBTQ community click the button below.

What they do: PFLAG protects LGBTQ+ rights through advocacy work and community-building programs. The organization aids the friends and families of LGBTQ+ people with supportive connections and resources through its localized chapters. It also provides resources and assistance to LGBTQ+ youth, enabling them to reach their fullest potential. Today, PFLAG’s headquarters is based in Washington, D.C.