Sammy’s Sandwich shop, Inglewood, California. That’s where I met Leiah, as she was working the register. We spoke about our goals, our dreams, our politics, childhoods, friends, people not understanding our queerness, her gunshot wounds, and my estranged father. This moment was the first of what would become Be the Real. That day I realized I had been missing people like Leiah in my life. She was unapologetically herself yet still deeply ingrained in her community. For the next two years, I documented community and identity by interviewing folks that I thought defined it best. Belonging is not always easy to find, but it’s out there. These are stories about people who are affirmed in their identity and steeped in the culture surrounding them.