Blogs & Posts
For Anyone Who Needs This As We Enter The Holiday Season:
2020 has been a year of turmoil and distress in so many ways. It seems as if every facet of the world is angry, or sad, or lost. The Climate. Our land. Our Physical and Mental Health. Domestic and Global Relations. Family and Neighbor Relationships.
At this time of year, it can be easy to feel isolated, so we want to lend you our hand. We want to give you a part of us, to remind you that you are not alone. You do not know us, but suspend disbelief for a moment and let us symbolize the millions of people who know what it’s like to feel like you do, even though they may never cross paths with you.
We are taught that family and community sustain us in life, as human beings. And then we walk around feeling less human than any movie, meme or song would suggest. For some, the wind walks through us and we feel hollow and alone because we fail to fit into an A-B-C, cookie-cutter box. For others, we are praised and cheered on, yet never really known- considered to belong to the normalcy of daily existence- yet wanting to reach out and let others know that their assumptions about us are antiquated or simply downright erroneous. Then there are the people who are trying to do their best against the people who have no idea that they are slipping away from the kindness that is built in, deep down, inside of all people.
How can we escape, to the other side of this puzzled path, as whole humans?
While we do not have all of the answers, this end of the year, holiday season, we are sending our words and our presence to be with you.
You are unique. There is NO ONE on the planet who is exactly like you. And that is a gift to the world.
You are not alone. On the coldest, darkest days, remember that you have enough light and warmth within you to cover a village.
You are constantly growing. We all are! And you are capable, resilient, and deserving of your next step! Remember that you've conquered every day of your life so far and that you will continue to crush the ones that come next!
You are beautiful! Even if someone says something to the contrary. You hold your beauty and no one can take it away because it comes from the inside out.
When someone makes you feel unseen, unheard or unloved, we love you and there are so many other people who will love you!
They say love isn’t something you can see, but it is tangible. When you need a moment of grounding or a reminder that you are on someone’s mind, let it be us!
…
So, whenever you feel you need it, and for however long, please join us in this practice:
Shut your eyes and hold out your hands. You can keep your hands to your side if you want to be more discreet.
Imagine warm white light glowing in your palms, sending love, caring, and gentle acknowledgment towards your heart. This light can take whatever form you like, it is simply a hand to hold, to keep you up, and to help you along.
The warmth spreads from your fingertips all the way to your chest, providing an extra shield of strength and support when you feel you cannot do without it.
We are there beside you, to equip you with strength, protect you with love, and inspire you to be brave.
In your heart, you can feel that you are appreciated and worthy of love and understanding. Even if you may not receive that now, you know that it is out there for you, and you will receive the love you deserve one day.
For now, hold that light in your hands, or rest it in your heart, letting it calm you and give you gentle comfort and strength. You are worthy of being happy and we need you.
…
Words and breath have a powerful way of calming the mind, which often has a tendency to race off without us. Though we may never be blessed enough to interact with you, know that each and every one of you is worth knowing, and worth loving. Thank you for living alongside us and thank you for being YOU. You are irreplaceable and invaluable, even when it may not feel like it. Enjoy the small moments of joy this holiday season, hold onto what you can, and uplift the good moments. And for those times when you just can’t find any, return to this letter.
Although this is easier said than done, let's not look at 2020 as a year full of loss but a year full of growth, a year of education, and strength, and resiliency. There may not be a "back to normal" after this year, and perhaps that is a good thing. Maybe this was exactly what we needed to open our eyes and our hearts to a world of possibilities. Take all of the things that you feel now and have felt this year and honor them, reflect on them; all of your thoughts, feelings, and experiences are real and they are valid. Siblings - we see you, we hear you, we love you, and we honor you. You are beautiful and you are all that you've ever needed; you just didn't know that yet. During a year that may have seemed like the end, remember that this is only the beginning. With community, you will never be alone.
With power and peace,
The Equality Florida LGBTQ+ Youth Leadership Council
As we begin school year 2020-2021, one thing we know for sure during these topsy turvy times is that love wins. What do we mean by that? It's simple. When we lean in and open heartedly lead in the best interest of love, not fear, our world, and certainly our important and valuable institutions such as our K-12 public, private and charter schools, will be all the better. Why? Again, simple. It translates to placing our children's well being front and center.
If you don't know, the 2019 Florida Youth Risk Behavior Survey reminds us that our LGBTQ+ students are still struggling in 2020 and beyond. Our kiddos are 18.2 percent of Florida's high school population, AND have double the rate of depression than non-LGBTQ+ children. Something's got to give. And we at the Safe and Healthy Schools department of Equality Florida are in the trenches, shifting cultures and hearts to right these sobering realities.
Finally, I am reminded of leading with heart (love) when I discovered the below article, penned by a caring mom who is on a journey with her trans child.
She tells us:
1. Be an optimist for your child.
2. There is not one way to be trans or transition.
3. Make decisions based on love, not fear.
I invite you to ponder her words in the article below as you consider the fact that we at EQFL will never stop until all children, particularly our LGBTQ+ precious ones in our K-12 schools, are safe, valued, affirmed and respected so they can live their full, authentic lives--with love at the center of their life journey.
Onward, for our youth and families,
De Palazzo, EQFL Statewide Safe Schools Director
Why I Choose to be Visible – by Isaac Salazar (He/Him/Él) – Safe and Healthy Schools Fellow (2021)
To be visible is an active, conscious, and purposeful decision I make on a daily basis. Every morning, before I step outside of my bedroom to greet my roommates and get my day started, I make the decision to be authentically myself, and to be perceived as such. Every day, I commit to living openly and unapologetically as myself – Isaac, He/Él, a bisexual transgender male - never compromising who I am for anyone’s comfort or convenience. Every moment, I choose to be visible…
To honor those who have fought for me to be visible – because they would have wanted me to be visible. I am visible to honor everyone who chose to be visible before me, during a time where merely existing as themselves was a direct defiance against the society they lived in. I chose to be visible to carry on their fight, with a community around me now, because that is what they fought for.
To be visible for those who can’t be – because they deserve to be recognized, too. Although there are many rewards to living openly as an LGBTQ+ person, some of our siblings are not able to join us in visibility. I am visible for those siblings, stepping up to be the representation society needs to be reminded that LGBTQ+ people are here to stay.
To lead as an example for LGBTQ+ youth – and to pave the way for those that will come after me. Growing up under the hyper-binary of my small pueblo in Colombia made it incredibly difficult for me to explore my identity. As I grew older, I struggled to find other transgender people who came from a similar background to me; oftentimes, I doubted there was even a future for me that could hold all of my identities. I was finally able to establish community among other trans people - once I moved to Orlando at age 18. Since then, I have made it a commitment to be visible, so no other youth has to doubt their future or their place in it. I am visible to be an example that you can make it, too.
To be an educator - because someone has to answer those questions. I am visible to share my experiences, to give insight on what it is like to be like me, and to be a safe person to unpack curiosities. Education is the foundation for any social change, and I am visible to start that change. I am visible to show people outside of the LGBTQ+ community that we are humans, too.
To be free – because there is no freedom in hiding parts of yourself. As a human first, I deserve to be treated with basic respect and dignity. I deserve to live wholly, uninhibited, and free to be who I am.
