 The biggest secret in my life was when I was age 15. It was my girlfriend. My stepfather was a very religious man, and we lived in a small conservative community where I had to hide my true self. I needed to escape, so I worked several jobs to save enough money to attend a university in a bigger city. There, I could be myself, but without any support systems, I lived in abject poverty and struggled constantly. But then, I met many other LGBTIQ-plus youth who had also struggled to leave home. It felt liberating to find a new community. For the first time in my life, I belonged. I can't return home again, but in the new community I've created, we support one another unconditionally and celebrate who we are. Now, we have each other.