PRIDE 2025: Words from the Publisher - Shine brighter when the world tries to dim your light.

Photo by form PxHere

As an ally to the LGBTQ+ community, I find myself looking at the world today with both heavy concern and unwavering resolve. The headlines are overwhelming—attacks on trans rights, censorship of queer voices, and the slow retreat of support in spaces that once claimed to be safe. But in the midst of it all, I want to say this: I see you, I hear you, and I stand with you.

Being an ally isn’t just about waving a rainbow flag in June or posting in solidarity when it’s trending. It’s about showing up, consistently, especially when times get hard. And right now, the community needs all of us—every voice, every vote, every act of support.

To my LGBTQ+ friends, family, and readers: you deserve to live out loud. You deserve joy, safety, love, and the freedom to be exactly who you are. And though the world may try to dim your light, I promise you—there are more of us who want to protect that light than extinguish it. Your fight is our fight.

This issue of PRIDE & Equality highlights the power of authenticity, the strength of solidarity, and the undeniable impact of community. Within these pages are stories that remind us how far we’ve come and how much further we’re willing to go—together.

If you’re feeling weary, know that it’s okay to rest, but never to give up. Change often comes slowly and with resistance, but history shows us it does come. And the louder we speak, the more we show up, the faster that change arrives.

To my fellow allies: this is not the time to be silent. Use your voice, your privilege, and your platform to uplift and protect. Because allyship is action. And love, when lived out loud, becomes a force no law or hate can silence. With love and commitment.

Teresa Robinson
Publisher / Editor-in-Chief
PRIDE & Equality Magazine