Can't Take That Away

by Steven Salvatore

“You know how most people hear a song and only remember the thumping piano melody? I’m more than just that one instrument or one key. I exist in between notes, with backing vocals and lush harmonies.”

“Why is it on me to get other people to change? It shouldn’t be on me or any queer person to make people treat us like … people.”

“Good. In other news, tell me all about this boy, Cris.” He’s an entire symphony. “I hear music when he’s around.” “Oh, you’re so screwed,” Monroe says. “We both are.”

I wonder if Mariah has moments of stillness, or if her days are filled with constant motion, endless interview requests, and the constant gnawing feeling that she always has to perform. Does she ever get a moment to just be? These moments of stasis are few, but rejuvenating.

It’s unfair that politics seeks to politicize my identity because this is my life, and I’m not up for debate.