QUEER POWER

“To me, Queer Power, means to break the boundaries set by society and governments to show that we exist as people who are still suffering from discrimination and oppression. We need to stand as one to show that no matter who you are, you should be seen as a human being. We're not sick. We are not aliens. We are human. Just like anyone else. We deserve to be seen that way.”

“Queer Power to me means being unapologetically yourself and doing what is right. Queer Power was given to us by our ancestors who fought for our rights, and they were transgender people, people of colour and people with disabilities, so we must continue to uphold their legacy by fighting not only for the rights of LGBTQ+ people, but for every minority group in need, as without them we wouldn't be where we are today.

Queer Power is why we're here today and our reason to keep on fighting.”

“Queer Power, to me, means living openly, honestly and without apology. It is the strength in showing up as yourself in a world that often tells you not to. It is joy, love and resilience in our communities and the courage to support each other through the good and the hard times.

Queer Power is found in everyday acts, holding hands in public, telling your story, choosing your own path. It is about celebrating who we are and making space for others to do the same. It is the quiet strength, loud pride and everything in between.”

“To me, Queer Power means a lot of things. For me specifically, it means understanding where I have privilege and using my voice in a meaningful way to challenge bigotry and discrimination. But, it also means being vulnerable - saying when I don't know things, asking questions and feeling confident to step back , recharge and restore.”

“To me, Queer Power can represent both an internal and external feeling. This could be the personal empowerment one may feel internally from identifying with the queer community, a label or flag. It could also represent the power we have as a whole when campaigning for our equal rights, being a visible presence as a group and the impact that can have. Personally, I have always identified with the word ‘queer’ for its wide range of definition and believe that it represents me most and appreciate the reclamation of the word in recent years means that it can still produce differing opinion.

Queer Power, both within us and as a community should be celebrated and championed always.”

“Queer Power is the ability to be frightened but continue, it feels so simple and cliche to repeat something we all read as young teenagers who were too frightened to become ourselves but it never stops being true. We all made it, we all continued.”

“Queer Power to me means believing that you are living and breathing today not in spite of you, but because of you. It is the quiet revolution of a flower blooming in concrete: unapologetic, wild, and full of colour. It is the spark that says, "I am not broken; I am fire." To me, queer power means waking up each day, consciously perceiving the differences within myself as uniqueness and wearing my truth, not because it makes me invincible, but because it makes me real. Believing that the differences within the queer community are not flaws but constellations, each one mapping out a story only queers can understand. As such, protest becomes poetry, every step forward is a stanza in an anthem.

Queer Power is the rhythm of infinite celebration in times of survival. Because you are not here in spite of who you are. You are here because of who you are. And that, in itself, is revolutionary.”

“Queer Power is not a thing that we hold. It’s not an entity that can be quantified or diminished. Queer Power is all of us. It’s our community. It’s the people who exist & stand up every single day to demand equity, liberation and the right for us all to be our true, authentic, unapologetic selves. It's our simple existence. It’s the courage of our youngest, the stability of our eldest and the heart of us all that brings us together. We may all identify differently, under different flags, ideas & causes, speak with many voices and come from many places, but we are all stronger together. Difference enriches us, not divides.

Queer Power can never be defeated, because we can never be silenced. For as long as we exist, regardless of the hostilities we face, Queer Power will always prevail and will secure us a better future, when we all stand united and embrace the unbridled strength that is our collective Queer Power.”

“Young people are often not recognised for the power they have in effecting change, yet play such an important role in shaping the socio-political climate. Putting Queer Power in the spotlight gives young LGBTQ+ people another chance have their voices truly heard, celebrated, and put into action.”

“Power so often is denied to a community. The lack of it can make it feel like you are stripped of agency. Stripped of a voice. Stripped of your authenticity. Then, when others seek to comment and pass judgement on you or your community - these lies and stereotypes cut deep, perhaps deeper, than if you had that power.

Too often queer people have been denied space and a platform to be seen and heard and just when it felt like real progress was being made - dark days seem to be gathering on the horizon again.

This is why now more than ever - reclaiming your power and creating those spaces is critical. Sometimes if you want something to exist, you have to make it yourself. It's time to take back our ground and no one is going to do it other than us.”

“Immediately I think about how there is power in numbers. It's so easy to think because your gender and/or sexuality is such a personal, individual thing, that you're doing it alone. But you are never alone, and when we come together we have the power to make change.

Every wave is made of individual drops of water. I'd encourage everyone to think of themselves as a powerful force too, you are capable and strong. Practice being powerful every day, and you will be unstoppable.”

“I know at times we may not be in a position where we feel powerful, or even comfortable, maybe due to an oppressive environment or even simply our own self doubt. But all of us are powerful, we have so much resilience within us, our strength is shown by our navigation through a world that might not fully accept us. The hateful fear our pride, and that is powerful in itself.”

“There are lots of different forms and manifestations of power, but to me the most important is the feeling of being centred and happy in your own skin. To be able to sit with yourself and feel at ease is such a powerful feeling, because it gives you so much headspace and resilience to tackle anything that is thrown at you. And unfortunately, for a lot of us queer folks, society has taught us the opposite of that, that we should feel uncomfortable, that we shouldn't love or even like ourselves, that we don't deserve the superpower of self-acceptance.

But when I am in a room full of other queer folks, I feel so much power from being in their energy. I see people who have told society that their happiness is more important than other people's expectations. And that isn't unique to queer people, but it is a shared experience - a shared power - that all queer people have.

At some point, all of us have known that being ourselves will upset or anger some other people, and when we confront that, just by being ourselves out loud, it is so powerful.”

“To me, Queer Power is the freedom to live life authentically, embracing who you truly are without fear or compromise. It’s rooted in resilience—the strength to stand out, unapologetically, and the courage to face a world that often asks us to shrink. Representation is crucial; seeing others like me express themselves boldly gives me the power to be brave, to be myself, and to carve out space for all queer identities.

Queer Power is also about intersectionality—recognising that our strength lies in supporting one another, regardless of our differences. Together, we’re unstoppable. When we stand united, we become the living proof that authenticity is our greatest strength.”