The Pride Thread

[Enzap]

Happy Pride Month to all! In this thread we celebrate the diversity we each bring to the world. You are free to share memes, artwork, videos, personal stories, positive messages, or any other queer/pride-related content. Whether you're gay, bi, pan, ace, queer, trans, nonbinary, questioning, anything in between, or just an ally of the community, all are welcome to participate!

Rules:

1. All forum-wide rules apply.
2. Remember if you post art, make sure it's credited and you have permission from the artist.
3. This is a safe, supportive space, so keep it positive. No gatekeeping, hate, or drama allowed.
4. Asking questions regarding LGBTQ+ matters is allowed but respect boundaries. Nobody is obligated to speak for the community at large or answer questions they're uncomfortable with.

Now let's party!

 

[Enzap]

To start us off, anyone who's comfortable is welcome to share their identify they're celebrating this month.

I'm proud to be queer-aspec. Asexuality and aromanticism are pretty underrepresented identities in the world and even in the queer community. I can't speak for all aspec people and I'm still sorta figuring out where I fall on the spectrum myself, but if anyone has any questions about asexuality I'm happy to talk to you about it.

 

[Neyo]

Does anyone have any suggestions on LGBTQ+ literature that they like or think others would like? I’m looking to expand my reading horizons. Thanks!

 

[Enzap]

Does anyone have any suggestions on LGBTQ+ literature that they like or think others would like? I’m looking to expand my reading horizons. Thanks!

Sadly I can't help much with reading material but got anyone looking for a good and pure gay anime, Given was a criminally underrated show from several seasons ago. I highly recommend it.

I will give a quick content warning for suicide though. That kinda comes out of nowhere and I imagine it could be triggering for some, but it's not like a major theme of the show.

 

[Insanish Danish]

Happy Pride Month! I'm proud to say that I am a bisexual woman, and while I wish this was something I could have figured out earlier in life (I never actually said the words "I'm bi" until 2017), I've embraced it fully and wholeheartedly. It's part of who I am and it makes me happy

 

[Ryoma Maser]

Does anyone have any suggestions on LGBTQ+ literature that they like or think others would like? I’m looking to expand my reading horizons. Thanks!

Well, good thing I'm a English major and aspiring librarian plus writer with a library for a bedroom. I would recommend Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst, How to Make a Wish by Ashley Herring Blake, Spinning by Tillie Walden, Nimona by Noelle Stevenson and The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang if you haven't read them already, the latter three being graphic novels by the way.

If you're willing to look into webcomics, I would check out Missing Monday which is very LGBTQ+ focus though it is still ongoing.

I've link to the Goodreads pages for each book I recommended where you can also find more recommendations on there and the webcomics archive page for the chapters. Hope you can find something you like and if you need help I'll try my best to find something you folks would like in any genre.

~~

Anyways, since I'm here. Happy Pride Month everyone, I'm not part of the LGBTQ+ community myself (though I have been feeling I may be demisexual in some way due to some weird growth in my personality in the past two years, I haven't really confirmed yet on my part so I'll hold off) but I have had many friends and acquaintances part of this community over the years that I've the honor of knowing, some on this very forum. Enjoy the month everyone, as always you've earned it.

 

[Orchid]

Happy Pride! I hope each and every one of you gets to celebrate this month to its absolute fullest!

Labels have always been a bit of a mess for me, but for the sake of simplicity, I'm a gay trans guy (who also falls under the nonbinary umbrella somewhere). I've been embracing who I am now more than ever — so even though I'm still only partway through my journey, I'm much more confident in my identity than I was just a few years ago, and for that I'm proud and thankful to just be me.

 

[Aulos]

Happy Pride Month! I'm a lesbian, and I wish all LGBT+ people the best - especially supportive families/households and governments. I wish it could be that way all around.

 

[Cinnabar]

Happy Pride! I am not involved in the community, but I feel that I would still like to talk about it.

I respect everyone no matter what they decide to do, what they want to become, or how they see something. You are all special, and I will never judge somebody for the choices they make. I have my own beliefs, and everyone will have a different perspective, but it is my goal to make sure I never assume somebody incorrectly.

Thanks.

 

[Enzap]

Happy Pride! I am not involved in the community, but I feel that I would still like to talk about it.

I respect everyone no matter what they decide to do, what they want to become, or how they see something. You are all special, and I will never judge somebody for the choices they make. I have my own beliefs, and everyone will have a different perspective, but it is my goal to make sure I never assume somebody incorrectly.

Thanks.

Thanks for the support!

I just wanted to take a quick educational moment to clarify that gender and sexual identity isn't really a "choice," this is why many people take so long to come to terms with their identity. It's a very common misconception amongst people who aren't a part of the community, just wanted to clear up any potential confusion on that.

 

[lisianthus]

Happy pride! I'm still figuring things out, so I'm either in the Q or B.
Either way, I'm glad to support the LGBT+ community. It's been a pretty big leap for me, I used to be really anti-anything LGBT, because of my family's politics and religion.
I've shed both of those now, and honestly it's nice to have an open mind! It's helping me for sure, as I'm questioning.
So, happy pride month to everyone, please keep on having a good time being you!

 

[Puddle]

Happy Pride Month, everyone! I'm a proud gay man. The first Pride event I attended was WorldPride London 2012, when I was 17. I was part of the parade, and caught a glimpse of Stephen Fry. I dived headfirst into the LGBTQ+ community that year, spending a lot of time at an LGBTQ+ youth club and meetups organised by an online forum.

I'd love to start getting involved in the community again soon. I feel relaxed in LGBTQ+ spaces because I don't have to come out, like I normally would when getting to know someone new.

Does anyone have any suggestions on LGBTQ+ literature that they like or think others would like? I’m looking to expand my reading horizons. Thanks!

I absolutely adore Maurice by E. M. Forster. It was written in 1913-1914 but wasn't published until 1971, after the author's death. So it's like a time capsule, a rare glimpse into the lives of gay men in the Edwardian era, a time when such a novel would have been too controversial to publish.

The 1987 film adaptation, starring Hugh Grant in his first major role, is my favourite film of all time.

 

[Aulos]

I've only been to a Pride event once in my life, and that was at my small college town a few years ago. It was obviously a different experience from how it would be in the city I live close to. But I don't think I'll go this year, because of COVID and everything. I am immunocompromised so I am still being very careful even though I'm vaccinated.

 

[Frozen Fennec]

Hope everyone is having a peaceful and relaxing Pride Month so far. Bought myself a trans pride flag recently and that's about the extent of how much I plan to probably do this month. More of an introvert than anything so I prefer to avoid crowds, trying to figure out for a couple of friends if my area is having any pride events this month.

 

[Torchic W. Pip]

Happy Pride, everyone! Hope you're all doing well!

I don't really know what I am at this point. I started questioning my sexuality a few years ago and my gender a few months ago. I used to identify as lesbian, but then I realized I had crushes on male characters and also thought "hey maybe I also like nonbinary people", so I then identified as bisexual. I decided to stop using labels for right now because 1. I've never been in a relationship, and 2. using labels wasn't doing anything but making me feel more confused.

As for gender? Idk. Sometimes i feel more female, other times I feel more nonbinary. Again, I've decided to not use labels at the moment.

When I identified as lesbian, I worried if my identity was valid because I didn't "look" or "act" lesbian. I know that's a really stupid thing and that there's no one right way to be anything, but I was young and wanted to feel valid. My advice? Don't internalize those feelings like I did. There's no right or wrong way to be anything. You're valid.

I also used to take those "Am I Gay" quizzes and the results were all over the place: "You're straight." "You're gay." "You're bi." Pro tip: "Am I Gay" quizzes on Buzzfeed or whatever won't help you determine your sexuality. They'll just make you more confused.

I don't know if any of this makes sense, but hopefully it at least sort of does.

 

[Enzap]

Happy Pride, everyone! Hope you're all doing well!

I don't really know what I am at this point. I started questioning my sexuality a few years ago and my gender a few months ago. I used to identify as lesbian, but then I realized I had crushes on male characters and also thought "hey maybe I also like nonbinary people", so I then identified as bisexual. I decided to stop using labels for right now because 1. I've never been in a relationship, and 2. using labels wasn't doing anything but making me feel more confused.

As for gender? Idk. Sometimes i feel more female, other times I feel more nonbinary. Again, I've decided to not use labels at the moment.

When I identified as lesbian, I worried if my identity was valid because I didn't "look" or "act" lesbian. I know that's a really stupid thing and that there's no one right way to be anything, but I was young and wanted to feel valid. My advice? Don't internalize those feelings like I did. There's no right or wrong way to be anything. You're valid.

I also used to take those "Am I Gay" quizzes and the results were all over the place: "You're straight." "You're gay." "You're bi." Pro tip: "Am I Gay" quizzes on Buzzfeed or whatever won't help you determine your sexuality. They'll just make you more confused.

I don't know if any of this makes sense, but hopefully it at least sort of does.

You are so heckin valid and no labels or lack thereof can change that!

 

[Mr. MoonStone]

Happy Pride everyone!

For anyone that may be looking at this thread but are not comfortable disclosing their sexuality or identity, or may even be questioning or unsure, I just want to let you know that that is 100% completely okay and valid! Don't feel like you have to live up to a specific expectation set forth by others or provide an explanation for yourself. This is your life and your journey, so don't be too hard on yourself or succumb to the pressure of fitting into a mold or matching a label. Don't overthink things, your mental health is so important! Be kind to yourself! You're doing great!

 

[bulbasaur99]

Happy Pride Everyone !!!!

I want to share a random collage that I made some time ago. I thought it fits with the pride spirit. These Pokemon are FABULOUS.

 

[Puddle]

Has anyone here ever seen the film Pride? I just watched it for the first time and cried buckets of happy tears at the end. I can't remember the last time I cried that much at a film! It just really struck a chord with me, and made me feel so inspired and hopeful. It was really nice to see an LGBT+ film that focuses more on friendship than romance.

Spoiler: Pride trailer