My IML Speech

If we don’t extend that unity to our collective family, We cannot stand strong against those trying to split us apart.

and it's natural to respond with anger right now, it's easy to choose a scapegoat for our frustrations.

But it takes real strength to be vulnerable and act with grace, and its in moments of kindness that we unite, in spite of our differences.

It was the Lesbian Blood Drives that supported us when others let a generation die from an epidemic of indifference.

It’s squeezing your trans brother's shaking hand, entering the men-only bar knowing he is so tired of justifying his existence there.

It’s A smile to the awkward newbie that makes their first event memorable, when they find home. That single kind act that inspired me to be on a stage like this tonight.

Titles will fade. Bodies will age and guards will shift from old to new.

but I hope our legacy is that someone stood a little taller, felt a little safer and believed in themselves a little more, all because we led with an outstretched hand instead of a turned back.

It's in that kindness, that the heart of our leather flag beats fiercely.

And what I do know about us, is that

We are not bound by borders, by blood, or by gender. We are bound by LEATHER.

And hopefully – a lot of rope!