In the wake of tragedies like last weekend's anti-LGBTQ shooting in Orlando, it's good to remember that we have the power to do good. We can live our lives with pride, no matter who we are and who we love, as a matter of honor. As a matter of gratitude, that we get to live our lives. As a vision of making every moment count.
And we can take action.
My friend Paula Yoo has helped with coordinating a way to make that action have a direct effect on the lives of the LGBTQ youth community in Orlando: an LGBTQ Kid Lit Book Donation Drive For the Orlando Youth Alliance.
It's a great cause, and as Paula explains on her blog, a way for all of us to donate positive LGBTQ kid and teen books (and money, if that works for you) to the Orlando Youth Alliance, an all volunteer-run non-profit that has provided support groups and services for over 1,500 Central Florida LGBTQ teens and young adults for the past 25 years. For those authors and illustrators who've published books with positive portrayals of queer characters and themes, you can donate signed copies - they'll be treasured even more.
Thanks: To all who participate and help spread the word, to Paula for organizing, and especially to the LGBTQ youth in Orlando - thanks for being yourselves. You're not alone. And the world's not just a place of hate. It's filled with love.
So join me, and let's #SpreadTheLGBTQLove!