Read about supporters creating lasting change for the LGBTQ community.
Stephen Lewis
Stephen Lewis, a Sacramento resident, shares his personal journey of struggling with his identity while growing up in an all-girls Catholic school. He reflects on the isolation many LGBTQ individuals face, and the vital sense of community that provides belonging and safety. Stephen highlights the alarming rise in anti-LGBTQ legislation, particularly targeting transgender individuals, and the dangerous impact these laws have on the community’s mental health. He calls on us all to continue advocating, fighting for equality, and supporting organizations like GLAAD to protect and amplify LGBTQ rights.
Read Stephen's Story
My name is Stephen Lewis. I live in Sacramento, where I went to an all-girls private Catholic high school. For most of my life, I hid who I was—a man trapped inside of a vessel that did not feel like my own home. I think if you’re reading this, you may understand this to some degree: to want to feel as though you belong, or as though you are a part of something that does not make you feel so isolated and ostracized.
We are a part of something—an alliance that has been strengthened by the acceptance of one another. This community is one place where gender does not matter. Where race is not discriminated against. Where we can all exist safely without the worry of being harmed—or the worry of being misunderstood.
Sadly, this is not the case in the larger world we live in. In 2024 alone, there were 400+ anti-LGBTQ bills introduced in numerous states throughout the country. At least 150 of these bills, in particular, targeted the transgender community.
We are living in a day and age where drag queens are more threatening to our children than guns, despite guns being the number one leading killer of children in our country. Where in Florida, parents of transgender children could have their children taken away from them simply because they are accepting of who their children are. Where in Tennessee, marriage officials can choose not to solemnize a marriage between same-sex couples or interracial couples if they do not agree with it.
For us this isn’t politics—it’s personal. Laws like these strip us of protections and make us more vulnerable. Being persecuted by our own lawmakers, robbing us of basic freedoms and the right simply to be who we are, creates a climate of fear.
Right now, many of us are terrified. When our own laws don’t protect us, it encourages others to further target and attack us. And, all of this undermines mental health and increases the rates of suicide and self harm —particularly for vulnerable members of our community who may already be struggling.
That’s why it’s so urgent and so important to continue to speak out, to fight, and to educate our friends or family members. Not to do so would be a grave injustice to not only ourselves, but to those within the community who often do not have a voice—primarily, our LGBTQ youth and people of color.
We must continue to show up, to advocate, and to educate—especially knowing that those who oppose us would rather us cower in corners and stay silent, or would rather us not breathe at all. We cannot give them what they want. We cannot let them win this battle.
I am asking you from the bottom of my heart—each and every one of you—to keep fighting. Please support GLAAD today.
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