With Pride Month well underway, I've been thinking about what it means to be a part of a community and how important it is to be and feel accepted for exactly who you are - to belong. For me Pride goes beyond the month of June and sits at the intersection of authenticity and individuality. Two distinct destinations for anyone longing to be true to themselves and no community shows us how powerful authenticity is better than the LGBTQ+ community.

It seems easy enough, being true to yourself doesn't seem like you should need a compass or map to find your way and yet for most, there is no direct route. We're born into societal rules, expectations, and constructs, making it difficult to find your way out of a box that doesn't really exist but is still meant to contain you. And for the LGBTQ+ community, that box is a rigid, narrow mold that decides who you're supposed to be before you ever get the chance to find out for yourself.

When I watched my twins swapping clothes, toys, and embodying an authentic spirit, it wasn't hard to see that they weren't being influenced by anyone other than their own inner guidance. My son wasn't wearing a dress to be a girl, he was wearing a dress because he loved it. It gave him a sense of freedom and joy that didn't need a gender label. My daughter didn't want to be the Black Panther, but she wore the mask to feel powerful, fierce - and free. An inner calling she wanted to embody and the mask helped her do that. What my children did freely and safely, in a home where no one questioned it, is exactly what Pride has spent decades fighting to make possible for everyone - freedom to be yourself.

My twins have always had their own very different styles and outlooks on what feels most like them, and as they've grown into teenagers, their preferences are still aligned with the desire to be true to themselves. I pride myself on being the kind of parent that encourages their own discoveries and to remain true with their authentic self. It's one of the reasons I homeschool them, but that's a story for another day.

StereoType was built on this simple vision - remove the labels that no longer serve our authentic self. The LGBTQ+ community has known for generations what it costs to live underneath a label that isn’t true to your inner knowing. StereoType exists to free us all from labels and rules that do not serve our authenticity - to be seen as you truly are. Children express this easily and without hesitation.

Why is it so hard for the rest of us?

It's something that I've been working on myself, stripping away the layers of a version of me that is no longer aligned while making space for who I'm becoming. Being true to myself is not easy nor is it a linear path but at my core I know that building a business, and advocating for individuality is part of my own longing to belong while creating a community that welcomes everyone - including, and especially, the LGBTQ+ community that inspires much of this vision.

Pride month isn't just a one month celebration, on the calendar, it's about advocating, supporting and standing with the LGBTQ+ community. Every. Single. Day. It takes courage to be true to yourself, to have your feet firmly planted in your authenticity, and it takes courage to stand up for one another - now more than ever. StereoType exists because we all deserve the freedom to express who we are and to take pride in that today, tomorrow and everyday after.