17. november: The communists are gone, but the fight for freedom is not over. Democracy may be lost before we know it

On Národní třída today it looks much like it does every year - people are lighting candles, students are carrying banners, someone is playing a guitar, someone is just standing quietly. Thirty-six years after the Velvet Revolution, generations who have experienced freedom are meeting here with those who know it only from stories. And it is this connection that is perhaps the most valuable. Because freedom, if we only talk about it and do not live it, becomes a memory over time.

It is good news that this is the second consecutive term that the Communists have stayed out of the House of Commons. That society has managed to come to terms with the past to the extent that totalitarian nostalgia is not an option for it. But that alone is not enough. History has shown us many times that democracy does not die only in coups - it often dies slowly, in the language of politicians who talk about "order", "correcting conditions" or "protecting traditional values". That is where the erosion of minority rights begins. And with it, the weakening of the freedom of all.

Those who belong to a minority - sexual, religious or otherwise - know how thin the ice on which democracy sometimes treads is. All it takes is a few words in a campaign, a few subtle bills. That is why 17 November is a reminder not only of courage but also of vigilance. Freedom is not a state we will grow into one day. It is a process that we must nurture - in elections, at work, and in how we talk to people who see things differently.

For the queer community, this day has a special dimension. Without freedom, there would be no opportunity to be yourself. Without democracy, there would be no one to say we want equality. Our freedoms stand and fall with whether we can hear each other, and defend those who cannot defend themselves.

And perhaps that is the challenge today - not to let freedom get lazy. Not to take it for granted, but as a responsibility. Freedom is not maintained by celebrating it once a year, but by living it every day: in empathy, in the courage to disagree, in the willingness to stand up for others even when it is not comfortable. Democracy begins in everyday life - in conversations that are not easy, in decisions that are not popular, and in quiet gestures that no one sees.

Today is also exactly 16 years since the very first issue of LUI was published. And maybe few people realize it today, but when we started, there was almost nothing. No space for quality queer content, no safe media house that could write openly about topics that had been overlooked for years. Yet we believed then that such a space had a place in the Czech Republic. And we decided to create it.

The date of November 17th for the publication of the first issue was not accidental. We came out symbolically on the Day of the Struggle for Freedom, because freedom - in identity, in love, in expression, in life - was a value that guided us from the very first minute. And it still guides us today.

In those sixteen years, we have opened the door to issues and people who had no place to speak until then. We have helped inspire the creation of countless other projects, initiatives and media. And we've toured thousands of companies, often at a time when no one thought that LGBT+ people were a full, loyal and beautiful target group. It's been a long journey. But it was worth it.

Today, LUI is a magazine that brings worlds together - queer and majority, personal and social issues, lightness and depth. Our content reaches a wide audience and helps break down barriers that were never meant to be between people. And while the world is changing, our mission remains: to be a place for you that is human, safe, open, and inspiring. A place where you can find understanding, insight, facts, stories... and hope. To be a little beacon that you can always come back to.

And it's all thanks to you. Thanks to every reader, supporter, follower, partner and everyone who has ever written us a "keep up the good work, you're doing important work" message.
Thank you for being with us. And thank you for making our work meaningful for an incredible sixteen years.

We keep going. For you, with you - and most importantly, together.