Write The Story You Needed To Read
June is Pride Month, a time when we celebrate authenticity, visibility, and the courage to live openly. It is also a powerful reminder of the importance of stories.
Stories have the ability to change lives. They help us feel seen, understood, and less alone. For many LGBTQ+ people, finding a story that reflected their own experiences was once nearly impossible. Books, movies, and television often failed to portray lives that looked like theirs. As a result, many grew up wondering if they were the only ones feeling what they felt.
That is why Pride Month is such a meaningful time for writers.
If you have a story to tell, tell it. If you have an idea that might help someone else, share it. If there is a book you searched for as a teenager but could never find, consider writing it yourself. The world does not need perfect writers. It needs honest ones.
Too many people convince themselves that they are not qualified to write. They worry that their grammar is not perfect, that no one will read what they create, or that someone else has already written about the same topic. Yet the most important thing you bring to the page is something no one else owns, your unique perspective.
Somewhere, there may be a young person struggling with questions about identity, belonging, family, love, or self-worth. There may be someone feeling isolated, believing no one could possibly understand what they are experiencing. Your words might become the very thing that helps them realize they are not alone.
Writing is not only about publication or recognition. Sometimes it is about connection. Sometimes it is about reaching across time and offering comfort to the person you once were.
Ask yourself a simple question: What story did I need when I was younger?
Perhaps it was a story about acceptance. Perhaps it was a story about overcoming fear. Perhaps it was simply a story where someone like you existed and found happiness.
Then write that story. Share that idea. Tell that truth.
Pride Month reminds us that visibility matters. Every time someone chooses to tell their story honestly, they create a light for others to follow. The stories we share today can become roadmaps for those who are still finding their way tomorrow.
You may never know whose life your words will touch. You may never hear from the person who found comfort in your story during a difficult moment. But that does not make the impact any less real.
If you do not see the story you need, write it yourself.
If you do not hear the voice you need, become it.
Be the light someone else needs.
