LGBTQ+ Pride 2025 feels different this year
A Facebook post by Scott Abel recently popped up in my feed, and it captured exactly what I’ve been feeling this Pride Month. It’s a powerful reflection on how far we’ve come—and how much we now stand to lose.
Since the 1980s and 1990s, our community has made incredible progress. But with progress comes vulnerability. The freedoms and visibility we’ve gained aren’t guaranteed. In this moment, it’s more important than ever that we tell our stories and educate younger LGBTQ+ people so they’re prepared to carry the fight forward.
Our trans siblings are on the front lines right now, but let’s be clear: we are all in the crosshairs. The backlash we’re witnessing isn’t isolated—it’s part of a broader strategy that also targets immigrants, people of color, and other marginalized communities. If we wait to act until they come for us directly, it may already be too late.
We may be accountants, but that doesn’t mean we’re powerless. In fact, our visibility within a traditionally conservative industry makes our voices even more important. Here are just a few ways we can stand up and make a difference:
✅ Defend DEI programs within your firms and professional associations. These initiatives matter—and their survival is not a given.
✅ Support LGBTQ+ organizations, both local and national. They are the frontline defenders of our rights and our community’s well-being.
✅ Show up for Pride events. Visibility matters, and numbers send a message: we’re here, we’re united, and we’re not going back.
Scott’s post hit me hard—not just because it’s beautifully written, but because it’s true. These stories matter. They help us understand why our older LGBTQ+ community members are wary, watchful, and often angry. They help us remember the cost of silence and the power of resistance.
This Pride Month, I’m feeling reflective, but also determined. The progress we’ve made was never guaranteed—and it still isn’t. But if we stay connected, keep telling our stories, and show up for each other, we can protect what we’ve built—and keep pushing forward.
Here is the post that was shared on Facebook by Scott Abel
🗣️ Scott Abel’s Post
Some of the younger gay men I’ve befriended lately have started asking questions. Honest, wide-eyed, sometimes awkward questions. The kind that remind you they didn’t live through what we older gay men did.
One of them (a sweet, smart 27-year-old with eyebrows better groomed than my entire social circle in 1987) asked me, “Why are you guys so mad all the time?”
He meant it kindly. He wasn’t being a jerk. He just noticed that many of us older gays tend to speak about politics the way someone might talk about a gas leak—nervous, watchful, and ready to evacuate at a moment’s notice.
So I told him.
Back in college, I called 911 when a friend needed emergency care. He was in bad shape. When the ambulance showed up, the EMTs did their thing; until they found out he was HIV positive. Then they did something that still makes my stomach turn.
They got back in their ambulance and drove away.
They left us there. Like we weren’t worth the risk. Like he wasn’t worth saving.
The 27-year-old sat silently for a moment. Then his eyes welled up. “I didn’t know that kind of thing actually happened,” he said. “That’s… horrible.”
Yes. It was. And that was just one story. Others lost partners, best friends, whole chosen families. Some were fired, evicted, abandoned. Many died without even the dignity of a funeral. It wasn’t just a public health crisis—it was a moral failure. A slow-motion disaster with a soundtrack of silence.
So, if you’ve ever wondered why your older gay friends have a certain tone when talking about the Supreme Court, or Florida, or anyone who starts a sentence with “family values”—this is why.
We remember. And we can’t forget.
“Young gays: please keep asking. Keep listening. We don’t tell these stories because we want pity or praise. We tell them so you’ll know what was lost—and what’s still at stake.”
#QueerHistory #AIDSMemorial #LGBTQRights #StorytellingMatters #AskYourElders #WhyWeFight #ACTUP
📝 Let’s keep showing up. Let’s keep fighting. Not just in June, but every month.
#LGBTQPride #WhyWeFight #QueerHistory #DEIMatters #AccountantsWhoCare #AskYourElders #StorytellingMatters #Pride2025
