I'm grateful for you.

Happy Friday Kiki readers-

Every day when I wake up, I have three things I do: go to the gym, have a cup of coffee, and take a moment to realize how grateful I am.

It's been difficult for the past few months to do that last part, oftentimes we forget to take moments to reflect on ourselves and what we have that make us thankful. But thanks to a Tarot reading I did while I was in Boston, I was reminded about how important it is to take stock of what I have, and simply acknowledge it.

I've been doing a lot of that these days, and I've consistently come back to feeling a tremendous amount of gratitude for subscribers like you who read this newsletter every week. We've been doing some real heavy-hitting work on schools, businesses, public health, and politics—and I'm incredibly proud of our writers who have stepped up and done reporting on a community that has long been ignored outside of Pride month.

But in reality, you are what makes LOOKOUT amazing. We've had a few people reach out and tell us exactly why they support us. And here are a few:

"Nobody is supporting the community like LOOKOUT is. Thank you for shedding a light on what hasn't been talked about for so long here."

"I love everything you do, and we're stronger because of it."

"I couldn't be more thankful that someone is talking about the things you write about. Thank you!"

These kinds of messages of support mean the world to Jake and myself, who easily work long days into nights and weekends to make sure we're doing right by you all. So thank you for continuing to show up and give your support.

-Joseph Darius Jaafari