10 Inspirational Quotes From LGBTQIA+ Leaders

June is Pride Month, which means various things to different people. To us, it means an opportunity to educate ourselves and support members of our community and our company who identify as LGBTQIA+ individuals. Most importantly, a crucial part of understanding a commmunity is educating yourself on it.

Pride Month occurs in the US to commemorate the Stonewall Riots, which happened in June, 1969. The Stonewall Riots were a series of protests that started when New York City police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay club in Greenwich Village in New York City. The police raid led to six days of protests and violent rebuttals from law enforcement, which in essence served as a catalyst to the Pride movement.

Although there is much work to be done in order to ensure that the LGBTQIA+ community is being heard and changes are being made, every year we celebrate Pride Month, we are one step closer to a more inclusive future. Continue reading for a few quotes from some inspiring LGBTQIA+ leaders that are a part of the progress.

Billy Porter, Actor + Singer

Just by the nature of making the choice to be true to who I am, I'm political. Sometimes that's all you need to do: Show up and be black, gay and Christian in America and actually say it out loud. And refuse to let anything or anybody take that away from you.

Alice Nkom, Human Rights Lawyer + Activist

When you are doing something that is right, you just do it and take care … Someone has to do this.

Laverne Cox, Actor + Advocate

Each and every one of us has the capacity to be an oppressor. I want to encourage each and everyone of us to interrogate how we might be an oppressor and how we might be able to become liberators for ourselves and for each other.

Indya Moore, Actor (Pose)

Historically, our culture has not made room for the nuances of humanity. People have not been kept safe: women, people of colour, queer people, transgender people.

MJ Rodriguez, Actor

Every single day, I wake up and take a glimpse of where I am now compared to where I was before, and the work that we have all put in to be in this space. I think of that, and being able to express myself through my art and show up and be present - that's activism, advocacy, and artistry in itself.

Janet Mock, Author + Model

I believe that telling our stories, first to ourselves and then to one another and the world, is a revolutionary act. It is an act that can be met with hostility, exclusion, and violence. It can also lead to love, understanding, transcendence, and community. I hope that my being real with you will help empower you to step into who you are and encourage you to share yourself with those around you.

Lena Waithe, Director, Producer + Actor

I'm writing my story so that others might see fragments of themselves.

Tan France, TV Personality (Queer Eye)

Each of us is living our own private journey, and the more we know about each other, the healthier and happier the world will be.

Michael Sam, Football Player

To anyone out there especially young people feeling like they don't fit in and will never be accepted, please know this, great things can happen when you have the courage to be yourself.

Alexya Salvador, Teacher + Reverand

As a pastor, I try to teach people that differences are not a threat, because people often believe that anything that is not in their own vocabulary, that is not part of their reality, should be seen as a threat and, therefore, combated. No, human beings should not wage war against one another. Not for any reason.