Pride isn’t just something you celebrate just one month a year. It’s something the LGBTQ2S+ community celebrates everyday.

In a place where it was made very clear she was to be categorized as “other”, Jessie grew up in a loving home with a lesbian mother. She knew from a young age she was different but always knew the beauty industry would eventually become her home.

Rikki came out a number of times during their life and never felt like it was fully accepted or embraced. Like a lot of us they struggled with eating disorders and self-harm while they were living an inauthentic life.

Shawn’s coming out journey was a way to not only test the waters with his friends and family but also a way for him to recognize his own feelings and better understand them. When he finally said out loud that he was transgender, the screaming in his chest was finally silenced.

In her early teens, Krista was able to be confidently herself after meeting a friend whom described herself as bisexual.

Despite not seeing people like her represented in her area, Hayden was accepted and even celebrated after coming out at 15.

Dresses + Dance Classes in the Midwest were a recipe for name calling and Kyle wanting to hide. Coping by throwing himself into every creative outlet available to him, he found a way to step out and begin living his truth.

Cal grew up being socialized as female. He now works tirelessly to support others during their journeys and creating a gender affirming salon space within the industry.

Sometimes we anguish over a “secret” that we are afraid the world won’t accept... that the world won’t allow us to live... will we lose our friends and family? That fear haunts many in the queer community.