"I owned every second that this world could give.
I saw so many places, the things that I did."

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When I was 15, I watched a scene on television where a teen cheerleader told her best friend that she was in love with her, but she was too afraid of what people would think to be with her. I enjoyed Glee before this, but this scene had me sobbing like I'd never cried before. For the first time my feelings that I had been confused about for so long, made sense.

Santana Lopez inspired an entire generation of queer women - to come out to their families, to embrace who were they were, and even just made them realise that what they were feeling was *real*. As someone on Twitter said, she awakened a generation repressed.

The reason she was so important, was because of Naya Rivera. Naya played her with such nuance and empathy, that she spoke so clearly to all the little queer girls watching - confused or otherwise. Naya also pushed the writers to fully realise Santana's queer identity, and not just have it be a fun joke. And it was Naya's incredible talent, that pushed Santana into the spotlight, instead of just being a background character used for occasional one-liners.

Naya Rivera is a hero. Not just for what she did for the LGBTQ+ community, but for what she did in her final moments. Every person who has paid tribute to her has spoken of what an incredible mother she was, and the fact that her final act on this earth was saving her son that she loved so much, heartbreakingly, makes that clear as day.

I never thought I'd be making another one of these kind of videos for a Glee cast member, let alone one who was so important to me. This was so heartbreaking to make, but I wanted to do something to celebrate this woman and the hero and inspiration she is.

Rest well, and thank you.

#nayarivera