Women and femmes have long been the LGBTQ+ community’s invisible force, often holding hands on the front lines but never quite making the cut of importance and relevance. This shrinking notoriety diminishes even further when considering race, specifically the intersection between queerness, Blackness, and gender. My community has made moves to place ourselves in the regularity of life, no longer attempting to assimilate into the corners or shadows where society says we belong. As someone with many strikes on her head (Black, queer, and woman), I’ve seen the passing revolutions of every single identity in real time. Even in the wakes of hardships and death, there has always been a pillar of hope and space, mainly found in the ever-melting pot that is New York City. A safe haven, right?