Dear twelve-year-old Kit,

It’s true, you’ll have some amazing people there for you through your coming out journey, but that doesn’t rule out the dark days. Prior to June 12, 2016, you’ll have watched every “It Gets Better” videos and stories preaching “love is love” and “we are equals.” It’s a fascinating, almost utopian idea. Assuming you were entering into a community that practices what it preaches, you’ll expect this new family to fix your broken heart from the prior day’s mass shooting.

Sorry to burst your bubble, Kit, but that’s not always the case. What people rarely mention is the lingering sickness within the community. 
I have this theory that lots of LGBTQ folks chased out of their homes and communities seek refuge in queer-friendly cities (like LA). Desperately searching for a catch net that, they find themselves hitting the ground and in the company of others who also fell and struggle to find their footing.

Take a place like LA that adds superficial tendencies, it’s a recipe for disaster. I’ve seen countless bruised, battered, and innocent folks looking for the love they were sold on finding. Coming up short, they build walls, not bridges, and seek to take away the love that was taken from them. It’s a vicious cycle, and you’ll fall victim to it. Your naivety will be taken advantage of and morals put into question. 

Angry, you’ll cast an unfair generalization of the community as being hypocritical – that is until you meet Zach and Cody.

Transplants from Houston, you’ll cross paths with Zach and Cody while working a club and almost immediately become friends. I don’t know if it’s their unwavering Southern hospitality or unwritten commitment to one another, but you’ll be one of the lucky ones who watches Zach and Cody’s friendship stand the test of time. 

Venturing out in this big bag world, it’s nice to know someone’s got your back. And once you’re assured of that, you stop tripping over the petty, small things because you’re no longer weighed down by your armor.

Zach and Cody are liberated from the toxicity by the mere fact that they have one another, and can focus on enriching their lives from the inherent benefits of this truly remarkable community. I wish the sad and broken knew they wouldn’t find their salvation by tearing others down. Maybe we can all learn a little lesson about how to treat one another by looking up to Zach and Cody.

At the end of the day, the effect you have on people is the most valuable currency there is. It’s no surprise why Zach and Cody are some of the richest people I know.

More to come,
Twenty-seven-year-old Kit