Appalachian OUTreach

06/12/2026

I've written about a lot of hard things for the last month. Today I wrote something different.

Jonas Hole is a trans salutatorian from Biloxi, Mississippi. His school used his deadname in the graduation announcement and apparently altered his photo. Five other trans students were erased from the yearbook entirely.

His community showed up anyway. And Jonas walked to that podium and claimed his own name, in his own voice, in front of four hundred people.

His closing line: "Be yourself, no matter who tries to stop you from doing so."

Research tells us that one accepting adult reduces su***de risk for LGBTQ+ youth by 40%. Jonas's parents cut him off. What he had instead was a whole auditorium.

This is what community does. And that is Pride!

New essay is linked in the comments.

06/12/2026

“The threat isn’t the virus. It’s politics.”

That’s the warning David Furnish is delivering as HIV experts around the world raise concerns about funding cuts and growing political hostility toward LGBTQ+ communities.

Furnish, who is married to Elton John and serves as chairman of the Elton John AIDS Foundation, says decades of progress against AIDS are now at risk.

According to Furnish, cuts to HIV programs have already led to millions fewer HIV tests and a significant drop in people starting PrEP, one of the most effective tools available for preventing HIV transmission.

What worries him most is that many of the organizations doing frontline HIV prevention work are being defunded, restricted, or forced to close.

For LGBTQ+ people, this isn’t just a public health issue.

It’s personal.

Many of the advances we take for granted today—from HIV testing to treatment and PrEP—exist because generations of LGBTQ+ activists fought for them.

Furnish says the goal should be simple: making HIV prevention and treatment available to everyone who needs it.

Because progress is hard won.

And history has shown it can never be taken for granted.



Via

📸 IG:

06/12/2026

June 12th, 2026, Pulse Nightclub, 49 lives stolen.

We remember them. Not as victims, but as siblings, dancers, dreamers who showed up to celebrate in a space that should have been safe.

We remember, we grieve, and we love louder. 🕯️🌈

06/12/2026

ON THIS DAY: Ten years ago, a gunman opened fire at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, leaving 49 people dead and 53 wounded in what was then the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history. https://abcnews.visitlink.me/2wJi4w

06/12/2026

In case you needed a reminder

06/10/2026

06/10/2026