This Thanksgiving, families and friends will gather — some at physical tables, others still at virtual ones — to give thanks during another challenging year. For many, it’ll be a joyous moment after a time of separation; for others, this may be a hard holiday, especially those faced with empty chairs at their tables. I hope that they find some solace in the quiet and peace of Thanksgiving Day.

This week, as the candle of 2021 burns down toward its wick, I find myself deeply thankful for so much and for so many. I’m grateful for the passion, talents, and downright brilliance of those working in LGBTQ nonprofits; they accomplish miracles.

I’m grateful for LGBTQ activists the world over. So often it’s our fiercest activists who cause boundaries to crumble; who won’t take “no” for an answer; who transform pride into history-altering change.

I’m grateful for – and awed by – our queer youth, whose demands today and visions tomorrow will determine our movement’s future, whether we who are older see it or not.

I’m grateful to the point of tears for our LGBTQ elders, those who opened a path for millions to follow through a dark thicket of persecution.

I’m grateful to all in our community who call out for us — all of us — to name, to fight, and to end racism in all its forms, both that within our own community and throughout the nation. I’m thankful for all who do the hard work of eradicating sexism, transphobia, and any and all ways in which we turn some human beings into “others.”

Lastly, I’m grateful — so profoundly grateful — for everyone who gives to support our movement for justice, equality, and decency and to ensure that the many needs of those in our community are met.

Thank you so much for everything you do for our community, and I wish you the most joyous holiday, in whatever way you celebrate it this year.