"To me, pride means being comfortable with who I am. A lot of members of the LGBTQIA+ community, including myself, have spent a lot of time trying to fit into a mold that wasn't meant for us, so understanding, accepting, and being comfortable with who we are, in my opinion, are the most important parts of taking pride in ourselves."  - Kaitlyn Bendick, 21, Mystic

"Pride is being unafraid and unapologetic of my true self. It is being truly happy with my definition of love and family. Pride is equality, belonging and acceptance for who I am. I feel Pride from my community that has accepted me for who I truly am." - Michelle Ramos, 48, Waterford.

“To me, it means the beginning of the fight for equity. … We have the acronym, something that a lot of people might not be able to say all the letters for, but every single one of those letters represents a very unique community within all of it. And to me, bringing that all together and celebrating those individuals within each of those sub-groups is so incredibly important, ” — Tessa Cappiello, 25, program coordinator for Reliance Health community support program and co-facilitator of the Gay-Straight Alliance at Reliance Health.

"Pride, to me, means coming together as a community and celebrating the progress that has been made towards equal rights for LGBT+ people." - Kestrel Perron, 41, Norwich