Pride

I follow a lgbtq page on Instagram and on their story they had a questionnaire for those in the community to answer, I screenshot the questions and thought it'd be fun to answer them here and I would be able to get more in depth and have longer explanations. The list contains 6 questions:

1. What advice would you give to your younger (closeted) self today?

2. Have you ever been to a Pride parade? What was it like?

3. What is the hardest thing about being LGBTQIA+?

4. What is the best thing about being LGBTQIA+?

5. What does dating look like for you as an LGBTQIA+ individual?

6. If you were an LGBTQIA+ superhero, what power would you have?

These are all amazing questions and some I had to think really deep to get an answer to. Let's get started shall we?

1. What advice would you give to your younger (closeted) self? I would tell myself, that you don't know it yet, but you have an amazing support system behind you. You have a brighter future, better friends, and that your family will never truly leave you. I know that's her biggest fears, that her family will abandon her, but she will learn with time and certain events that it will never really happen.

2. Have you ever been to a Pride parade? What was it like? I have never been to a Pride parade, and since COVID is still around I don't plan on it this year, but I would love to go to one someday. Maybe next year.

3. What's the hardest part of being LGBTQIA+? I'd have to say being labeled and stereotyped. I'm more pansexual I guess, since I tend to like everyone, but I have a preference for women, all women. So that, and being told I'm disgusting, or that I'm going to Hell, or I'll die in Armageddon, that I'm unnatural, that its not me, that I'm sick. There's some toxicity in the LGBTQIA+ community and it's Biphobia and believing bisexuality isn't a thing and that is the most invalidating thing, next to someone messing up your pronouns. Feeling lonely is the worst, even when you know you have a whole community at your back, loneliness can be overwhelming.

4. What's the best part of being an LGBTQIA+? The best part? The loving community that I get to surround myself with. Yes there is controversy within it, and it's causing problems. It depends on who you choose to associate with and the people I get to be friends with and talk to on a regular basis has made accepting me for who I am a lot easier and comforting. Pride has given me strength to be who I am and have pride in myself.

5. What does dating look like for you as an LGBTQIA+ individual? This question is easy and hard at the same time. For awhile I thought I was a lesbian and only looked at women romantically and sexually, but as time passed I realized that I still like men a little bit too. So I look at both, I look for men and women interested in women, it's been hard to find someone I want to date since I have high standards for myself, but I'd still settle for less than what I think I deserve because I felt lonely. Its still a struggle sometimes, but I know I'll find my special person one day.

6. If you were an LGBTQIA+ superhero, what power would you have? Can healing people's ignorance be a super power? If the answer is yes, then that would be it for me. So many people are scared of what they don't understand, even if it's about themselves, and to be able to let people see who they're meant to be or help people see who they're son or daughter really is, removing the blinders and let them be accepting, that would make me so happy. I could help make the world a better place, with more love and understanding.

Being apart of this community has been a blessing, and I haven't felt more loved than I do now. It took a lot of self love, self care, therapy, and people to get me here, to those reading this, I am here for you, below will be a link to the resource center and they have support lines listed if you are in need of help. Be safe, be loved, and love one another.

https://lgbtqia.ucdavis.edu/support/hotlines