Show Your True Colors....Now More Than Ever

Saturday, August 22, 2026 marks Jersey City’s 26th Annual Jersey City Pride Festival. This year’s theme is “Show Your True Colors”. Earlier this month I attended  Jersey City’s Pride Flag Raising Ceremony at Jersey City City Hall. I noticed that during the ceremony, Cyndi Lauper’s iconic LGBTQ+ anthem “True Colors” was playing in the background. This song was originally released four decades earlier, also in the month of August, but its resonance and importance is more profound than ever! My favorite lines from the song are: “But I see your true colors shining through.  I see your true colors and that’s why I love you”. Imagine a world in which everyone could show their truest colors every day of their lives without fear or being judged.

Should I go there and say “2026 was the best of times and the worst of times for the LGBTQ+ community”? Despite advocacy and empowerment being at their highest in decades for our community, this year has also seen historic homophobic and transphobic legislation that even challenges one’s existence or choice to identify.  Pensions are being jeopardized, the ability to openly serve in the military is being challenged and applying for/renewing a passport that reflects your gender identity is no longer a simple task. Let’s not forget that even using the restroom has become an issue for some members in the LGBTQ+ community.

Despite these Herculean challenges, the LGBTQ+ community and its friends and allies remain vigilant and energized to meet the current challenges and those that may be on the horizon—even regrettably from within our own ranks. The LGBTQ+ community is not monolithic nor should it be, but hopefully there is a consensus that we may identify and live our lives in a myriad of ways, but we respect each other’s right to exist and would not advocate for the exclusion or minimization from the extended LGBTQ+ family. Peaceful and respectful coexistence is something we should all strive for and support.

The LGBTQ+ community is a microcosm of society. There will be differences and variations that range from age, race, ethnicity, gender identity, education, class, life experience, and every other nuance that exists in the world at large.  It is intrinsically easier to interact with, embrace, and prefer to be in the company of others whose lives most similarly reflect our own. This may  be true across all aspects of our lives, but primary allegiance to homogeneity often comes at the cost of not widening our personal and professional circles and missing opportunities to enrich our own lives as well as the lives of others.

On the most basic level, we are first individuals. We shouldn’t feel an obligation to act as  spokespersons or ambassadors for a single or multiple communities.  From the lens of intersectionality, I have multiple identities that intersect with various demographics in and outside the LGBTQ+ community. Some of these identities  are more apparent than others but all are parts of  myself with each aspect being significant and of value. Collectively, these aspects comprise my colors: from the elegant greys—the most vibrant blues and enchanting shades of lavender.

I couldn’t or wouldn’t want to imagine a reality in which I was told that my colors were not welcome or acknowledged because they are not a good fit or may have randomly triggered someone. Transphobia is currently one of  the most prevalent “phobias” within the LGBTQ+ community and definitely with many outside the community. Questions regarding what is definitively a “real woman or man” have taken on accelerated levels of vitriol and separatism. Cringe-worthy moments of “You don’t belong here” or “You are not one of us” should invoke déjà vu for many of us who may recall a direct or related memory in our lives when we may have been on the receiving end of statements like that ourselves.

Muting, erasing or ignoring the hues, effervescence, or brilliance of others will not make you more relevant, make you shine brighter, or elevate your standing in the community. In fact,  attempts to diminish the vibrancy of others are more than likely to reflect negatively on you, and lead to speculation as to why you are so negatively  focused about someone else showing their colors. One’s self-expression should never come at the cost of another person’s representation. Both can exist without canceling out the other.

Understandably, the concept of color plays a prevalent role in my life, as it is part of the name of my group: People of all Colors Together Jersey City. PACT JC is an affirming space that invites and encourages diversity. The PACT JC logo is a  clear light bulb with rainbow colors entering it and being encased by hands of different colors are a metaphor for those colors being welcomed, protected and providing a beacon for others.

In honor of Jersey City Pride’s theme of showing one’s true colors,  let’s endeavor  to proudly amplify our colors and encourage others to do the same—especially those who historically were not as represented or may have felt they would not have been welcomed. There is room for the most reserved among us to the personification of fabulous to have a seat at the table, a mic to speak, a space on the dance floor, a spot in the march, a space to live openly, a workspace not to fear termination for openly identifying as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, the choice to serve in the military, not being  harassed in a bathroom because  one’s physical appearance doesn’t “perfectly align” with the gender designation on the door, the right to a passport reflecting one’s identity, and for everyone to be respected for their totality instead of random excerpts that fit the narrative du jour!