LGBTQ Pride Month looks different than ever before. National Black Justice Coalition's David Johns and 'Grey's Anatomy' actor Alex Blue Davis reflected on Pride, protests, and mental health in our live chat.

• David Johns, the executive director of the National Black Justice Coalition, and Alex Blue Davis, an actor who plays Dr. Casey Parker on "Grey's Anatomy," joined Insider for a live conversation on June 25.
• Moderated by Insider's Canela López, the conversation covered topics such as the recent protests for Black trans lives, mental health, the recent Supreme Court case protecting LGBTQ workers from job discrimination, and more.
• "The thing that I have been most inspired by this month, in particular, is that there have been so many protests," Johns said. "Those moments connected to this much larger movement look much more like the origins of Pride."

This year's Pride Month has been one for the history books, shaped by a pandemic and protests in support of Black and trans lives across the globe.

In honor of Pride Month, Insider hosted a discussion with David Johns, the executive director of the National Black Justice Coalition, and Alex Blue Davis, an actor who plays Dr. Casey Parker on "Grey's Anatomy."

Moderated by Insider's Canela López, the discussion covered the recent protests, mental health, the Supreme Court case protecting LGBTQ workers from job discrimination, and queer media representation.

The conversation first touched on the major changes to global Pride celebrations this year and roots of the queer liberation movement, which was pioneered by Black trans women and non-binary people like Marsha P. Johnson, according to Johns.

"The movement for radically inclusive social justice has been going on for a lot longer than Black Lives Matter has been trending in this moment, and that legacy is connected to a tradition of Black queer, trans, and non-binary folks sacrificing themselves for the rights that people too often take for granted," Johns said.

Johns said queer media representation matters is especially important right now because it directly impacts how LGBTQ people are perceived and treated. When done poorly, it contributes to the violence Black queer and trans people face, he said.

Davis reflected on how roles for transgender people, in particular, has shifted in the last decade.

"There were two people I knew growing up — Hilary Swank played Brandon Teena in 'Boys Don't Cry,' and Max [from 'The L Word'], and they were both trans guys played by women," Davis said. "That's how it has been up to now, where trans women have been played by cis men. What's happening now, wherever there is good representation, is humanizing trans people."

The live chat also touched on the recent Supreme Court decision to amend the Civil Rights Act to include LGBTQ people in workplace discrimination protections. It was a monumental decision, according to both Johns and Davis, but doesn't change the daily reality of discrimination for many queer people.

"The reality for most Black queer people is we live with other Black people," Johns said. "We are disproportionately concentrated in the South, we live in the states where it is permitted to discriminate against us based on race and legally permissible to discriminate against us based on perceived or actual sexual identity, gender orientation, or expression."

With existing mental health disparities exacerbated by the pandemic, as Davis and Johns noted.

As a father to three children, Davis has been busy homeschooling and keeping his kids occupied during quarantine. But he makes a point to meditate every day.

"My dad died when I was very young, so I've been dealing with grief and loss, and I've been in therapy for a very long time so I know those things about me and I've been privileged that I've been able to work through a lot of that," Davis said.

Because of the nature of the National Black Justice Coalition's work, Johns said June has been an extraordinarily busy and difficult month.

"I am incredibly concerned about my body because it's going to go on strike soon, because I do this work. It is my life's work and we are busier now, but we'll all still be doing this work when it's no longer trending," Johns said.