As Pride Month comes to a close, we encourage you to remember that pride is not something that lasts 30 days in the month of June. Pride should be celebrated 365 days a year, where we highlight and include queer voices in everything that we do. And as we collectively continue to make space for our queer siblings, our amiga Kim Guerra of Badass x Bonita reminds us that as we grow into ourselves with so much pride, we always have to heal and nurture our inner niña.
Read her beautiful poem below, and share it with your friends if this hits home for you.
Dear queer inner niña,
Pienso en ti y solo quiero abrazarte y llenarte de besitos
On your cheeks y a las orillas de tus ojos donde caen esas lágrimas
Esas lágrimas que piensas que nadie ve
Pienso en ti y quiero recordarte que tienes alas
I want to remind you that you have wings and maybe right now you feel like you are ese gusanillo feo, the one that your first-grade teacher told you would turn into a butterfly
I remember feeling like I was that gusanito that was never going to fly or the one that was never going to come out of the cocoon
Pero I promise you do get your wings
And you will learn how to fly
I have spent my whole life fighting for your wings
I want to take off the burdens you’ve been carrying
They were never meant for you to carry
As the first born oldest daughter
You had to be responsible for too much too soon
Casi no tuviste tiempo de ser una niña
Y mucho menos de ser una queer niña
Discover who you are: que te gusta y quien te gusta
You were so busy taking care of everyone else you didn’t learn how to take care of yourself
You were busy being what everyone else told you you should be
There is nothing wrong with you choosing who you love
I’m sorry I let the fear instilled by religion and cultura keep your identity from blooming
I hid behind the color pink, boys, and everything I thought would keep me in the closet
Your queerness doesn’t make you any less worthy of receiving love
De ese bonito, amor del bueno
No tengas miedo when you realize you like girls!
Es algo hermoso de ti
Es algo que no tienes que esconder
Es algo que también te va a dar alas
Es tiempo de abrir esas alas y dejarte amar y brillar
Porque este mundo needs more queer girls like you.
If you are looking for a safe space to explore your inner queer niña, join our Pride circle in our digital community AMIGAS where you can connect and heal with our amigas and amiges!
Kim Guerra is the creator of “Badass x Bonita”, a brand and movement that she considers to be a work of self-love and her love for her community. She wants each person to wear “Badass x Bonita” products as a statement and shield– a living revolution. Guerra is the author of “Mariposa” and “Mija”: collections of bilingual poems, affirmations, and revolutionary love letters. “Badass x Bonita” is for all humans who are giving themselves and their community wings through revolutionary love. Guerra is a TEDx Speaker and received the “Agent of Change” award from Univision’s Premios Juventud and has been recognized for her work in various publications including Oprah Magazine, Today, People, Huffington Post, Buzzfeed, Univision, Televisa, Remezcla, R29Somos, and FiercebyMitu. Kim Guerra continues to use her voice and platform to advocate for the immigrant, LGBTQ+, BIPOC, survivors, mujeres, and oppressed communities.
She was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley, CA. Kim graduated from Cornell University and received her Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy from Antioch University in Seattle. She’s currently based in Los Angeles and Coyoacan.
