Welcome to Soft Launch, a column by Elyse Fox on mental health and wellbeing in a world that often feels anything but soft and cushy. In this installment of the column, Elyse talks to queer people about building community.
June is Pride month and, although LGBTQ rights have seen progress, recent years have tested that. With increasing anti-LGBTQ laws being both proposed and passed, data from the Trevor Project showed the negative mental health impact these laws can have. And, the rise of book bans has made it tougher for people to get their hands on stories and information that shed light on diverse experiences and history. Last year, 4,240 books were targeted for censorship, according to the American Library Association, and 47% of those books were about race, racism, and the LGBTQIA+ community. But even amid all these challenges, queer people are finding joy in community. According to that same Trevor Project data, a supportive…