From The Editor: Let’s Talk About It

Welcome to Lavender’s first-ever Mental Health issue! While we’ve covered mental health issues in the past, we felt that as discussions about mental health become more common and sources of mental health stress for LGBTQ+ people in particular increase in both number and severity, now was the time to dedicate an entire issue to the topic.

In this issue, we have stories including an art exhibition featuring LGBTQ+ artists examining mental health, mental health resources for LGBTQ+ people from the National Alliance on Mental Illness’ Minnesota chapter and a small group therapy practice focused on helping LGBTQ+ people. We also have stories on personal mental health journeys, including an essay from frequent Lavender contributor Arthur Diggins.

When I first read Arthur’s article, I was surprised at how severe his struggles have been. This is someone I’ve been working with for months, who has been a model professional and never showed any signs of how much he was struggling behind the scenes. I hope his story reminds you, as it reminded me, that no matter how well people seem to be doing on the outside, you never know what they are going through. It’s also a reminder of the incredible courage and fortitude that people show in the face of mental illness and the things they can accomplish despite it.

I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who shared their story with Lavender for this issue — while open discussion about mental health has become more common, sharing your own story, especially in such a public way, requires an admirable amount of vulnerability.

Whether you’ve struggled with mental health personally or supported someone you love through a mental health challenge, I hope these stories connect with you and help you, even if it’s in the smallest of ways. Don’t forget to check in on your friends and loved ones to see how they’re doing — you might never know what people are struggling with unless you ask, and your support could make a difference.