I love the simplicity of this. But also, I want to say something gently to all adults who interact with queer kids, and please listen, especially if this feels like something you don't WANT to hear.

Their inner battles are a sharp road uphill.
1/

You do not need to make it harder for them.
No matter what you believe
No matter what you think about kids these days
They do not need to hear what YOU think.
They need to hear:
• You are loved.
• You are important.
• I see the you that YOU want me to see.
2/

• I love THAT you, the you that you ARE, not the you that I wanted or expected you to be.
• Your happiness matters more than my opinion.
• Your emotional safety matters more than my opinion.
3/

• Your life... your SURVIVAL matters more than the words I want to let out of my mouth right now.

And I know this because I was - I ALWAYS WAS - a queer kid, in a time when there were few adult allies unless you looked really fucking hard for them.
4/

Don't make it so hard for them to find you. If you're an ally of LGBTQ+ folks, MAKE IT KNOWN.
Because perhaps the kids will come to you when they feel
Scared
Alone
Hopeless
Lost
Out of options.
And wouldn't you rather they grow up to be a full-grown queer than a statistic?
5/

After all, I'm a full-grown queer. And after all these years, I have to say: I'm not such a bad thing to be at all.
/