Something to know if you’re looking to read something of mine: the books I write are not strictly about straight people.

That I because I am not strictly “straight people.”

To be more specific, I’m bisexual (or pansexual; I use both terms interchangeably. Gender isn’t a binary, and what I mean by either term is that gender isn’t the determining factor in who I find attractive or who I love.).

You might have noticed, if you live in the United States, that this is not a great time for the LGBTQIA+ community. That’s putting it mildly. The current administration has made it a point of pride that it is hostile to people in my community, particularly trans folk. I’m not going to bother linking the most recent news stories; by the time you’re reading this, there will likely be all new cruelties perpetuated against people for the “crime” of simply existing. All three branches of the federal government are under control of bigots, and it’s disheartening on a day-by-day basis.

And yet.

Pride didn’t start quietly, and it didn’t start with corporate support, and it’s going to continue for as long as there are queer folk in the world– which is always. And it’s full of good old-fashioned defiance with which it began.

I live in Colorado. This year’s Pikes Peak Pride (the one held in Colorado Springs) was the same day as the No King’s protests were held nationwide. Both Pride and the protests happened simultaneously downtown, both had great turnout, and people went from one to the other and back again with a spirit of camaraderie. This administration does not speak for the American people, who understand that gender and sexuality are not inherently moral and need not be the justification for arbitrary discrimination. And there are so very many of us.

(Shout-out to the Wolf & Wyld’s Queer Bookstore, who had a great presence at this particular Pride celebration with a wide selection of queer speculative fiction. Give them a follow.)

So what do we do? Little things, when we aren’t capable of the big things. Live openly. Show that we are unafraid. Show that we are just as human as anyone else. And never, never be silent.

For myself, I’ve been shouting out LGBTQIA+ fiction all month on my Bluesky. If you haven’t read any of these brilliant authors, give them a try! (If you haven’t read my books yet, I’d love if you gave them a try as well.)

But most importantly, remember this. Every day is a victory. Sometimes, simply living is an act of defiance. Things have been worse than this before, and things will be better than this in the future– not because that better future is guaranteed, but because we will make it so. Because we are still here. Because no matter how much a corrupt government might try to prevent it, we will always be here.

And because, all my LGBTQIA+ friends, and all my queer friends I’ve never met– you are glorious.

Happy Pride.