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Issue II: PRIDE

As you are probably well aware, we live today in an era in queer history of both great progress and great struggle. The global efforts by queer people that have come before us for liberation and respect have allowed for the many recent advancements in gay rights and political, social, and cultural change. As of 2024, around 28% of Gen Z in the US openly identify as LGBTQ+ in comparison to a 7% of Gen X.

However, while many of us are now allowed to live more freely as ourselves than ever before, queer equality, acceptance, and visibility continue to be under threat. For queer youth, especially transgender and genderqueer adolescents, this lack of societal acceptance and compassion is detrimental to both our mental and physical health. Being kind and patient with yourself in a sometimes unkind world is necessary and has never been more important than now.

Art, writing, and creative expression have always been integral to queer movements. The very act of creating art and sharing your voice as a queer and/or marginalized person is a political one. Creating art has the power to make yourself seen, heard, understood, misunderstood, loved, or hated. To express your own identity and experiences is a tool of resistance against a deeply flawed world and a step toward creating a better one.

As June comes to a close, we dedicate our second issue to queer pride and showcase a handful of young LGBTQ+ artists and writers with important stories to tell. Remember that your voice is always worth being heard and we hope you consider contributing to our future issues. We thank our staff and contributors for helping to make this publication possible and we hope to see you in our next issue.