Author’s Note: This piece was written by a MoreLove member who, like so many in the LGBTQIA2S+ community, knows what it feels like to be made to feel unwelcome, especially during the holidays. They wanted to offer this with care. From one community member to another. Hoping that if you’re feeling isolated this season, you might feel a little more seen, a little more held, and a little less alone.

Holiday Courage

If this holiday season feels heavy, you’re not alone.
So many queer and trans people carry the weight of rejection, distance, or disownment from those who were meant to love them most.
And this time of year has a way of sharpening that ache,
the way winter sharpens everything.

If someone is uncomfortable with your identity,
that discomfort is theirs. Not yours.
Some hearts choose fear over understanding,
and that choice speaks to their limits.

But hear this clearly:
Losing people because you’re honest about who you are
doesn’t mean you’ve lost your worth.
You still belong.
You still deserve community and care.

Your identity is not a dealbreaker.
Your queerness is not a flaw.
Your transness is not a burden.
You deserve to be safe, seen, and wanted.

Without folding yourself smaller
just to fit into someone else’s comfort.
Being yourself in a world that tells you to shrink
is an act of courage.

And still, the season can be heavy.
If you are spending these days alone or grieving,
holding yourself together one quiet moment at a time,
know this:
we’re holding space for you.
There are communities ready to open their doors,
their tables,
their hearts…
to welcome you exactly as you are.

And it takes real strength to reach out.
Seeking the people who will meet you with gentleness
is not weakness. It’s the bravest thing you can do.

Family is built in the quiet moments…
when you let someone hold space for you,
when you knock on a new door and find it open,
when you trust that you deserve a soft place to land.
Chosen family grows from that kind of courage.

Family isn’t defined by biology.
Family is the people who choose you,
who stay,
who lift you gently on days when you can’t lift yourself.
Chosen family is real family.

You belong.
You deserve love.
You deserve peace.
And you are not going through this season unnoticed.

With Love,
MoreLove

Need support? Check out these resources:

Trevor Project
Provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQIA2S+ youth and young adults.
Call 1-866-488-7386
Text START to 678-678
Web: thetrevorproject.org

Trans Lifeline
Free and confidential peer support service run by trans people, for trans and questioning callers.
Call 1-877-565-8860
Web: translifeline.org

BlackLine
Provides a space for peer support and counseling, with an LGBTQ+ Black femme lens. This resource is divested from (separate from) the police.
Web: callblackline.com
Call 1-800-604-5841

988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
Free, 24/7 confidential support for people in distress and their loved ones.
Call or Text 988
Web: https:988lifeline.org