As a journalist for LGBTQ* media for almost 20 years, I’ve often been asked about the meaning of community. As French people, we tend to frown upon the concept of “community”. I’ve always believed in it but been hard-pressed to explain why.

Now I know. It’s all these authors offering their books at discounted prices or even for free to quarantined readers, narrators giving audiobook codes away, authors organizing events so no one feels alone.

It’s all my activist friends organizing grocery shopping for vulnerable people, lending their flats to health workers who don’t feel safe going home, making sure migrants get translations of the official documents they need to go out in the street, giving shelter to victims of domestic violence.

So I’d like to thank everyone for making these difficult times less painful and scary. Thank you.

Image © torbakhopper / CC BY 2.0