A beautiful, moving, and genuinely insightful piece. Unfortunately, the arc of the LGBTQ + struggle has been fraught with false expectations and assumptions. It’s as if we can never afford to take the time to celebrate our progress or even take a breath to fuel up for the next hateful onslaught. Ultimately, it only makes this old queer even more focused and determined to stand up every day for acceptance and love. Thank you so much for this exceptional, inspiring essay.