“Take Me Home” speaks to my younger self who felt alone in a world that tried so desperately to clip her wings and keep her pinned to the ground. As an adult, the answer I’ve found to my isolation, my aching, and my search for self-identity came from the greatest lesson I’ve learned through life: community. I owe so much of my growth to community spaces that lifted me up and allowed me to be seen as whole, even in times that I was deeply unsure of myself. I would want my younger self to know, more than anything, that your people are out there, ready and eager to take you home – into your true, limitless self and body. I would also want her to know that the pain you feel – the confusion, the depression, the anger – is helping you to build yourself into a community member who can then uplift others in the beginnings of their journey. As for my future self, I don’t have answers to what the fight for queer acceptance will look like in the coming years, but I know without a doubt that we are always stronger as a diverse, vibrant community.
