According to dosomething.org, 42% of LGBTQ+ people report living in environments that are less than accepting and six out of ten LGBTQ+ students report feeling unsafe at school. These statistics are alarming, to say the least, and they are part of the reason why holidays can be difficult for many LGBT people. This is an open letter to those who go home to families who don't accept them for who they are.

Dear Friend,

I know this isn't an easy time of year for you. Going home to people who tell you that you're an abomination and that you're not good enough is so so hard. But you are an amazing, brave, strong, and wonderful human being who deserves to hear that. People can be cruel, but you're a person who deserves more than that. You deserve to hear that you are loved and you deserve to hear that your feelings are valid.

Let me say that again. Your feelings are valid. Just because those around you think that what is being said is okay doesn't mean that it is. You're allowed to feel hurt, you're allowed to feel scared, and you're allowed to feel however you need to feel.

You are not obligated to accept insults as truth just because they are coming from people who share your DNA.

The best, and really the only, advice I have for you is to remember that this is temporary. It won't be long before you are back where you belong and are accepted. I know it's so hard knowing your family won't accept you for who you are. It's okay to be hurt by that. It's okay. This time of year can reopen a wound that is forever healing and it's okay that it hurts. However you deal with the horrible situation you've been put in, remember that it is temporary. You only have to be there for a little while. After that, you can go back to school or go back to living your life the way its meant to be lived.

You are not an abomination.

You are not any less than anyone else because of who you love.

You are a person. A wonderful, strong, empowering, person. You deserve to be loved because love is love. Know that even if your family rejects you for existing, there are plenty of people who won't and there are many people who will love you the way you are because, as Lin-Manuel Miranda put it recently, "[love] cannot be killed or swept aside." This holiday season, remember those who love you no matter what and be thankful for them. As Miranda suggested, we must "now fill the world with music, love, and pride."

Sincerely,

A Friend