“Queer people don't grow up as ourselves, we grow up playing a version of ourselves that sacrifices authenticity to minimise humiliation & prejudice. The massive task of our adult lives is to unpick which parts of ourselves are truly us & which parts we've created to protect us.” - Alexander Leon, activist. As a queer woman who came out late in life I am all too aware of the process of uncovering and discovering true expression and discarding the deep layers of internalized shame and and self gas-lighting. It is a great honor to be able to hold up the light for other brave ones walking this road. The complex trauma that result from not having our true selves reflected back to us, just by virtue of being in the minority, even in our own families is profound. Yet, as we have stood on the shoulders of those who have gone before us, I am honored to work with a generation of queer people who are carrying the torch even further, not only for ourselves but for those who come after us in a web of evolution and healing in our community.