I’ve been sitting here for the past 30 mins, riding home from the movies after seeing Love, Simon. Trying to collect my thoughts because it’s like words almost aren’t enough to explain this film. I can’t even begin to describe it. Inspiring. Heart-warming. In short? Life changing. That may sound like I’m over exaggerating, and to some you may think I am. That’s okay. To me it’s life changing. If I had a movie like Love, Simon growing up I would not know what to do with myself. Before I had even seen the movie myself, I was reading stories of people who had seen it already. How it was changing perspectives, helping people who were struggling to accept their child’s sexuality become more accepting. Teens were coming out during showings of Love, Simon. This movie can help change lives for LGBTQ+ teens. My theater was packed to the brim. We all laughed, cried, and cheered together. It was beautiful. I cried myself. Representation for the LGBTQ+ community is far and few in between. It’s not every day we see ourselves in high budget, modern, teen movies. And sometimes the representation we do get isn’t always positive. Some either being criticized or ruined in some way that’s toxic. But this is a great start. My hope for the future is that we can have more stories like this, with Love, Simon’s positive reception it can open even more doors for future films like Love, Simon. After the film was over and I was heading to my car, I saw a group of people stopping outside to take a picture with the Love, Simon movie poster. We exchanged smiles and cheers. And that...means everything.