I’ve lived in Texas my entire life and I’m just now appreciating the stunning nature found here—and how it heals me as a queer person living in this conservative state.

I might not know what lies ahead of me but I know I want to jump in with her by my side. I don’t need to wait till I’m 28 to marry the person I’m already living my best life with; it can happen now.

I’d kept telling myself just make it to December — once you’re with your family, everything will be ok. But it was December and I was in a car with my family on our way to Disneyland and I still felt a heaviness in my chest.

I was a closeted teen when I lived in the Valley, and I haven’t quite learned how to be an out adult when I visit home.

Tacos are truth. I’ve never known my life without them and they can always transport me home. They’re important to me and are so ingrained to my cultural identity and my family history, and essentially my soul.

La Virgen has always been dear in my heart and always will be, but the way I view her has changed throughout the years, through various lenses with different interpretations, including now as a queer woman.

Before Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera and the Spice Girls entered the picture, Selena was the first superstar that I fan-girled over and looked up to. She served as a role model for young Latina girls because she made them visible.