GEN Z IS SHAKING UP PRIDE AS WE KNOW IT

Pride is a hallmark of LGBTQ+ liberation. What began as an act of civil protest and activism has become the founding footsteps of emancipation from a heteronormative society. As we continue to strive for greater freedoms, it would be irreverent to neglect our past histories and hardships. Our aspirational futures have been built on the crux of sacrifice and determination that we, as a younger generation, must acknowledge.

New studies indicate more than 30 percent of Gen Z identity as LGBTQ+ which equates to every one in six people in the US. And, now, in a modern world, we sit in the unique position where we can strike up a rally overnight or coordinate a global protest through social media. With greater resources and access to knowledge at our disposal, a looming question prompts us to reckon the trajectory of the gay rights movement – what does the future of queer freedom look like? We ask Generation Z – a demographic of young people born between 1997