Happy Pride Month!
A letter to my past, present, and future clients
Dear reader,
Happy Pride Month!
Pride is a fun celebration, a beautiful visual of the diversity within our community, a reminder of our history and resilience, a tribute to those who took the risks in the past that made it possible for us to celebrate now, and a timely call to action to keep up the fight to defend queer and trans rights.
If this is your first Pride Month - hurray! And welcome. And yes, before you question yourself - yes, you are queer enough. Or trans enough. Or whatever it is that you are worried you are not “enough”. You are enough. Full stop. That includes bisexuals in hetero-presenting relationships, trans and non-binary folx wherever you are in your transition or whatever your gender expression looks like at this moment, baby queers who have never been in a queer relationship before, anyone feeling queer imposter syndrome, introverted queers staying home this month, and queer folx who don’t want to sport a queer-signaling haircut or wear a rainbow t-shirt - you all deeply belong!
If Pride feels bittersweet for you - I extend some extra care and gentleness to you. Maybe you’re still figuring out this whole “coming out” thing, or not sure if you can ever come out. Maybe you’d like to go attend an event or watch a parade, but you’re not ready or able to yet. Maybe you did go to the parade, but you went alone and wished you had a group of queer friends to go with. That can both a heaviness and longing, and a reminder of what there might be to look forward to in the future. Even for those who are out and proud, the public celebration can be a reminder of loss: of fiends or family who were not accepting, or who you had to distance yourself from. Fellow queer friends you had a falling out with, exes, your first queer crush, etc. Or loved one who are no longer with us, who were the most supportive allies, and who we deeply miss.
As a therapist working with the LGBTQIA+ community, I am continually honored to be able to walk with you on part of your journeys, to help you explore and gain a deeper understanding of who you are, to sometimes be one of the first people you get to come out to, to support you in finding your chosen family, to laugh and cry with you, and to celebrate your triumphs and milestones with you. And I am even more deeply honored to bear witness to your pain and healing - the collective and individual trauma, the struggles with mental illness, the heartbreak, the grief and loss, and the challenges of being a queer or trans person in the world today. We’re all figuring this life out together, but I’m glad you’re here.
I hold all of you in my memories, thoughts, and hopes. Thank you for trusting me with your stories.
With gratitude and care,
Allison
Allison Marx is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist and Registered Art Therapist in Los Angeles, CA. She specializes in LGBTQIA+ affirmative, poly/ENM-friendly, and kink-knowledgeable therapy and sex therapy for couples/relationships and individuals.
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In-person therapy for residents of Los Angeles County, including Torrance, Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills, Lomita, Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, El Segundo, Hawthorne, Lawndale, Gardena, and Long Beach. Online therapy via telehealth throughout the state of California.