I’m sitting here staring at the screen, wanting to write something honest, meaningful, and hopefully helpful as we step into a new year. So much has happened, and so much feels uncertain, especially as a gay American man who loves his country and wants to believe the best of it.
This past year tested all of us. Politics have become harsher, the economy tighter, and the future more unpredictable for so many people. For my LGBTQ+ family, 2025 felt like one challenge after another. But it wasn’t just us. There is a heavy kind of “American fatigue” settling into our bones from waking up every day to the anger, cruelty, and noise coming from people who seem determined to drag us backwards by decades. It wears on the spirit.
Young people are struggling in ways that should alarm every adult in this country. Home ownership feels like a dream slipping away. Even having a stable place to live is becoming harder. I know young professionals living in cars, vans, crashing on couches, or sharing small apartments with five or six others just to get by. And don’t get me started on grocery prices. Even the Dollar Store isn’t a dollar anymore.
But there are bright spots. Marriage equality has been challenged, but it still stands strong for now. Publications like this one continue to give us space to speak our truths, tell our stories, and disagree without losing our humanity. We can still debate politics and policies and candidates, and that matters.
On a personal note, my husband and I are celebrating 38 years together. Our old cat is 18 and still bossing us around. And yes, I can still fit into my high heels for shows. I figured we needed a laugh right about now.
This holiday season I’m not rounding up at the register so big corporations can pat themselves on the back for “charity.” I’m choosing to help people directly. I hope you will too. Look around you. Someone you know needs a meal, a little money, or simply a hand to hold.
As for elections, please remain alert and involved. Look closely. Research candidates. Don’t let your guard down. From local races to state and national ones, voters are the only line of defense to keep politicians accountable.
Here in Orlando, in my own District 3, I have done a lot of research and we need some really great leadership moving forward, it is at a critical moment. It is Tanna or Chapin running, and both are good candidates. And as we move toward the Midterms and beyond, we must return Florida to at least a “purple” state and pay close attention to the Governor’s race. I am proud to endorse David Jolly, a former Republican and a genuinely good man.
In the year ahead, stay politically awake but also take time off the screens. Breathe real air. Talk to real people. Spend time in quiet and reflection. Reconnect with the world around you.
And if you find yourself confused or uncomfortable around gay people or transgender people, try something simple. Approach them as people. Because that is exactly what they are. This hysteria over trans folks is manufactured, exaggerated, and dangerous. And we need to keep our eyes on the real threats. Many of them look like rich white men who seem ready to drag us back into the 1950s, where women serve dinner and everyone “knows their place.” No thank you. We’re not going back.
Stay strong, America. Stay engaged. Stay loud. Protect your neighbors. Protect your loved ones. Protect your community.
America, I still believe in you!
Martin “Leigh Shannon” Fugate is a local business owner, actor, comedian and entertainer. A strong advocate for getting out the vote and creating political change, he is a past candidate for local political office. He’s been happily married to his husband, Joey, for 37 years.
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