I spent the weekend with other journalists at the LGBT Media Journalists Convening in Orlando, Florida. While the entire time was filled with learning and networking (and a dose of fun), the most moving part was visiting the Pulse nightclub, site of last year’s tragic shooting. It reminded me of why I write.
I write, ultimately, to make the world in which my son is growing up a better place, one in which hate and misunderstanding is replaced by love and acceptance (although I’ll take mere tolerance along the way). I write to give voice to those whose voices may not always be heard. I write so we as a community of LGBTQ parents can gain strength from each other, and so the wider community may learn that we are not so different (and where we do differ, that it is part of the beautiful texture of human variation, not cause for fear or hate). I write so no parent has to mourn the loss of a child, and no child the loss of a parent, to an act of violence like that at Pulse.
Whether we write as journalists, diarists, poets, or occasional narrators, I hope we keep telling our stories.
