July always feels like the month where time speeds up. Somehow, summer break is already winding down.
My house has become a revolving door of snack requests, laundry piles, forgotten swim towels, and the familiar chorus of “Mom!” echoing from every room. Between trying to keep two kiddos entertained, squeezing in family adventures, and mentally preparing for another school year, life has been wonderfully chaotic.
And somewhere in the middle of all that? Pride planning. While many people think Pride begins in October, ours starts long before the first rainbow flag is hung around Lake Eola. Right now, our volunteer committees are meeting, sponsors are stepping forward, entertainers are being booked, permits are being finalized, and hundreds of moving pieces are slowly coming together. It’s equal parts exciting, exhausting and deeply rewarding.
As I write this, I find myself constantly shifting between mom mode and executive director mode. One minute I’m shopping for school supplies. The next I’m reviewing sponsorship proposals or brainstorming festival improvements. Some days it feels impossible to balance it all.
If I’m being honest, I know I’m not the only one. Everyone I talk to seems to be carrying something heavy these days. Rising costs. Family responsibilities. Work deadlines. Anxiety about what tomorrow might bring. And, for so many in our LGBTQIA+ community, an overwhelming sense of uncertainty about the political climate surrounding us.
It feels like every week brings another headline designed to divide us. Another attempt to erase us. Another reminder that our rights, our dignity and even our existence continue to be debated by people who have never walked in our shoes.
It can be exhausting. It can also be tempting to disconnect. To tune out the news. To skip the hard conversations. To convince ourselves that someone else will do the work.
But history reminds us that progress has never happened because people stayed comfortable. It happened because ordinary people showed up. They voted. They organized. They spoke up. They refused to disappear. That spirit is exactly why Pride continues to matter.
Sometimes people ask whether Pride is still necessary. My answer has never been clearer: YES! Now more than ever. Pride is visibility. It’s the young person seeing someone like themselves for the very first time and realizing they aren’t alone. It’s parents discovering community and learning how to better support their LGBTQIA+ children. It’s businesses choosing inclusion over silence. It’s faith leaders opening their doors. It’s allies standing shoulder to shoulder with us. It’s joy becoming an act of resilience. Representation changes lives. Visibility saves lives.
When our community is seen, celebrated and valued, we create space for someone else to believe they belong here too. That matters. Especially now.
As we prepare for another Pride season, I hope you’ll remember that Pride isn’t something we simply attend. It’s something we build together. Every volunteer who gives a few hours. Every sponsor who invests in equality. Every vendor, performer, nonprofit and community partner who shows up. Every family who brings their children. Every ally who walks beside us. Every person who simply says, “You belong.”
Together, those moments create something much bigger than a single-day festival. They create hope. They remind us that even during difficult seasons, our community refuses to stop showing up for one another.
This year, our theme is Feel the Beat, and I honestly can’t imagine a more fitting message. Because our community has always had a heartbeat. It beats through every activist who came before us. Every drag performer who refused to dim their light. Every transgender advocate fighting to be seen. Every elder who survived the darkest years. Every young person boldly living as their authentic self. That heartbeat continues with each of us. It reminds us that we are connected, even when the world tries to convince us otherwise.
So as summer gives way to backpacks, school buses, calendars full of meetings and another busy season ahead, I hope you’ll make room for a few things. Register to vote if you haven’t already. Make a plan to vote in every election — not just the big ones. Support organizations doing the work year-round. Volunteer if you can. Stand beside your neighbors when they need you. And when October arrives, come celebrate with us. Bring your family. Bring your friends. Bring your joy. Because showing up is still one of the most powerful things we can do.
The road ahead may not always be easy, but we’ve never measured our strength by the absence of challenges. We’ve measured it by how fiercely we continue to love, to advocate and to care for one another despite them.
So, here’s to surviving another summer. Here’s to fresh school supplies, busy calendars, late-night planning sessions and the beautiful chaos of life. Here’s to continuing the fight for equality. And here’s to keeping the beat alive. I’ll see you at Pride!
Tatiana Quiroga is the executive director for Come Out With Pride. She is a proud mother, wife and LGBTQ+ advocate in Central Florida.
Sign up for the Watermark Out News eNewsletter and follow us for more:
BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | TikTok | Threads | YouTube
