When I reflect on my journey — as a professional tennis athlete, LGBTQ media & Wall Street advocate, and proud gay man — I’m overwhelmed by how far we’ve come and how far we still have to go.

I’ve witnessed progress I once believed impossible: marriage equality, greater visibility, laws that protect instead of punish. But I’ve also seen the backlash that seem to rise every time we step forward. So I write this final piece from my heart: we must keep fighting.

Because the truth is, our struggle never ended.

Yes, we can marry. But in many states, you can still be fired or evicted for being LGBTQ.

Yes, we can see queer characters on TV. But queer youth are still taking their own lives because they’re bullied, rejected, or legislated into silence.

Yes, we have allies. But too many are only present when it’s easy, when it’s profitable, when the cameras are rolling.

This moment demands more than passive support. It demands courage.

I’ve watched LGBTQ people become political pawns in a cynical game of division. Politicians use our identities to score points. They paint us as threats, as dangers to children, as the “other” that needs to be regulated out of existence. We are under siege.

But we are not victims.

The LGBTQ community has always been made up of warriors. We resist not just with protests, but with art, with joy, with love that refuses to be erased.

I know the feeling of being worn out. I’ve carried it in quiet moments, wondering if we’re moving fast enough or if hate is catching up.

But then I remember: every step forward matters.

When I knew I was gay, before I came out, it was in a world that told me I was less than. I was a professional athlete, and there was no roadmap for being openly gay in sports. When I eventually came out, the messages I got afterward made it clear that visibility saves lives. That was the entire goal of my book titled “Hiding Inside The Baseline."  

I want a future where no child is afraid to be themselves in school.

I want a world where our elders are honored, not hidden.

I want trans people to walk down the street without fear, to access healthcare without barriers, to live fully and freely.

I want queer love to be ordinary — not revolutionary.

That’s why I won’t stop. And I hope you won’t either.

Because the most dangerous thing we can do now is rest.

The other side is organized. They’re loud. They’re relentless. But so are we.

So organize your communities. Vote like your life depends on it.

This is not just about rights. It’s about the freedom to love, to live, to simply be.

The fight continues. But we are ready.

Bobby Blair is an LGBTQ media pioneer and leader known for his philanthropic work on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community. A Florida native, he lives in Fort Lauderdale with his longtime partner, Brian Neal. Blair was inducted into the GLBT Hall of Fame in 2015.