I knew Howard University was the school for me when I attended Youth Pride in Dupont Circle during my senior year of high school and amongst the predominantly white table vendors, I was shocked to see a table full of beautiful, black queer people representing one of the most distinguished historically black universities in the country. Their overwhelming warmth and love for me convinced me that Howard was the emblem of progression in the black community. Though I was not totally disappointed, especially after hearing about the accomplishments of powerhouse black LGBTQ activists such as Victoria Kirby York, Sterling Washington, and Amari Ice, I realized that the obstacles facing our community had a different dynamic. I could be black, queer and masculine presenting with the Coalition of Activist Students Celebrating the Acceptance of Diversity and Equality (CASCADE), but in the classroom or amongst other organizations, only my blackness seemed pertinent to the conversation. Gender was and still is a non sequitur. I have been told that there are organizations that are not meant to serve as a platform for the LGBTQ movement and in those spaces, I wondered if they would stand next to me at Pride just as we stand together during Million Man Marches and Black Lives Matter Rallies. Now, as a graduating senior, I am in a place where I accept my whole self and I expect those around me to do the same, even if it means accepting that I will bring ALL of my identities into the conversation. At this point, it is a matter of getting the administration and faculty to do the same.