Writing the Next Chapter

The LGBTQ+ community has come a long way.

In 2003, same-sex marriage wasn’t legal in any US state. Today, couples from Alabama to Alaska can walk down the aisle.

Just a couple decades ago, movies and TV shows that tackled LGBTQ+ stories were considered groundbreaking. Today, queer audiences can find any number of programs that not only acknowledge their existence, but also celebrate it.

And as recently as 2020, people in 25 states could be fired from their jobs because of their sexuality or gender identity. But following a series of Supreme Court decisions that year, LGBTQ+ people are no longer subject to legalized workplace discrimination.

But serious issues remain.

In April 2021, Arkansas became the first state to pass legislation explicitly denying healthcare to transgender youth. In 2020, 40% of LGBTQ+ youth reported considering attempting suicide in the previous year. Racism persists within the LGBTQ+ community, and queer people of color are disproportionately affected by violent crime. And abusive conversion therapy practices remain legal in 30 states.

It’s easy to think of queer history as a linear story of progress—a path that goes from bad to good, from oppression and secrecy to acceptance and pride. But the real story is more complicated than that. The challenges facing the queer community today are products of the past. They emerged from longstanding legacies of discrimination that we must understand to dismantle.

The story’s not over. We write the next chapter. And by knowing the past, we can create a brighter future.