Finding My True Family

Greetings, Vocal readers! I've been very open about who I am for the last several years in numerous stories. I fully embrace my true self daily and unapologetic for it. Despite Republican politicians increasingly attempting to silence and denying our existence, our voices will grow even louder. I'm going to tell a story about how an event changed my life forever. Be sure to sound off in the comments below and be sure to like this story once you have read it. If you have any questions about what I look for in a guy, please also share them down below. Also, follow me on my socials. Finally, please send me a one-off tip at the end of this story to support my work as I continue to write and publish more stories.

June 2016: Four years after coming out as gay, I was invited to an event that I was looking forward to. It was our local Pride parade and I attended it with my friend at the time, Raymond, who was a transgender man and at one point, we dated. He was such a great friend and was excited to enjoy myself there. Pictured above was the exact outfit I wore that morning. I brought my Texas rainbow flag with me and for my new readers, I'm originally from Texas and currently reside in Arkansas. Anyway, Raymond and I arrived in downtown Fayetteville and that morning, it rained for a while, but it was sprinkling. Once the parade got underway, which we took part in, the sun came out and that moment was so joyous. At the end of the parade route, Raymond and I mingled with some people, including the Mayor of Fayetteville at the time. Attending my very first Pride event was the moment I found a community that treated me like an actual family. Since then, I attended Pride until the pandemic interrupted and changed our daily lives forever. In 2022, the annual Pride parade returned after a two-year hiatus and it felt good to back being around people again.

Last year was the 20th anniversary of our local Pride event. I recorded a short video of the parade, which you can see above, and it was so beautiful to see people come together to celebrate this important milestone. A few weeks before this, the Governor tried her best to ban drag, because she claimed it was to "protect children." I'm glad she didn't go through with that ban and it backfired, because drag is art and a form of entertainment. There were more pressing issues in this country to worry about and drag wasn't one of them.

Over a couple of months ago, the Pride event in my area was in danger of not having their annual celebration this year, due to our commander-in-chief putting extreme pressure on companies to end their DEI programs. In case you didn't know, companies such as Walmart and McDonald's have either scaled back or entirely eliminated their Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion (DEI) programs, because Trump believed that such programs shouldn't be put in place. Because of this ridiculous political pressure, organizers of my local Pride event appealed to supporters to raise at least $30,000 in order to save it and find new sponsors. There was a happy ending, where their goal was met and I'll be back at the parade next month.

A few months ago, I wrote a story about the lessons that Pride parades taught me. One of those lessons I stated in that story was a sense of belonging. It was always great to see a diverse group of people from different walks of life at an event like this. It always makes me smile and my warms my heart. You can read the full story in the link down below.

https://vocal.media/pride/lessons-that-pride-parades-taught-me

Republicans can try to silence us all they want, but we will never shut up and continue to stand up for those who can't speak or stand up for themselves. The only agenda we're spreading is telling people to treat us and others with dignity and respect. No one deserves to be harmed, discriminated against, or harassed in any way. Respect for everyone, including LGBTQ+ people, is neither a Democrat or Republican thing. Having empathy and compassion for others are not optional. Giving a damn about other people and their plights doesn't mean you have to compromise your own beliefs. It's part of being a human being. We're here to stay and that's the truth of the matter.