<p>ALBANY, N.Y. — Michaela Kennedy-Cuomo, the daughter of New York’s governor, used a social media post Thursday to share her “queer” identity and call for allies to speak up against homophobia.</p>
<p>“To those who are contending with the compulsive heterosexuality our society force feeds us and innate attraction beyond cis het folks, please know that you are not alone,” the 23-year-old <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CPrKJsADsbn/">wrote on Instagram</a>. “Today, I stand in my queer identity with pride, and in memory of those who came before me. I stand indebted to the activists who fought for my right to love and happiness.”</p>
<p>Kennedy-Cuomo has often used her social media accounts to advocate for the LGBTQ community, including those affected by sexual assault.</p>
<p>She has also shared pictures of herself at Pride marches with family members including Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat who pushed for the successful passage of same-sex marriage legislation in the state 2011.</p>
<p>“I love, support and couldn’t have more pride in Michaela," Cuomo said in a statement.</p>
<p>June is Pride Month in New York and elsewhere, with events scheduled throughout the month to commemorate the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-news-ap-top-news-pa-state-wire-new-york-ny-state-wire-5f2159a5120e4833b31683665f9405ca">1969 Stonewall rebellion</a>.</p>
<p>Kennedy-Cuomo is the governor’s youngest of three daughters that he has with ex-wife Kerry Kennedy.</p>
<p>In her Instagram post Thursday, Kennedy-Cuomo said filtering programs on social media platforms have at times made it harder to find content with key words such as “lesbian and bi.”</p>
<p>Without such “censorship,” she wrote: “maybe I could have accessed the information and tools that as a bisexual person I would need to protect myself from increased rates of sexual victimization, homelessness, hunger, unemployment, hate crimes, and mental health challenges.”</p>
<p>Kennedy-Cuomo urged people who need help with issues around their sexuality to reach out to the <a href="https://www.thetrevorproject.org/">Trevor Project</a>, a national group providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQ youth.</p>
