Identity

A Life in Three Parts. First Place in Pride Under Pressure Challenge. Content Warning.
The world is fuzzy. You think you’ve been here before, or maybe this isn’t the first time you’ve woken up. There’s beeping. Voices in the distance—hushed. You don’t think you’re allowed to know what they’re saying. You don’t care.
By River and Celia in Underlandabout a year ago in Pride
The Pakistani Chai Culture: More Than Just a Cup of Tea
In Pakistan, chai is not just a beverage—it’s a tradition, a comfort, a social glue, and in many ways, a cultural identity. While tea is consumed globally, in Pakistan, it holds a sacred place in daily life. Whether you’re a laborer taking a break or a guest in someone's home, chai is almost always part of the picture.
By aadam khanabout a year ago in Pride
We’re Just Here for the Chicken
I used to stick a pin on a map and go. Pack a bag. Be there in a day. New life, new start. That was my little segment of white privilege. Sure, I wasn’t always safe as a woman. I was born poor and short. And Welsh. I could, if I so chose, bugger off to wherever. Whenever. Teach the language of my closest living relatives, all because the English white dispensation had made it possible. Through blood and rape and tears. Not something I’m proud of. But not an opportunity someone like me was going to pass up either. Bottom line is I could. Because they did.
By River and Celia in Underlandabout a year ago in Pride
Femboy Crop Tops: Bold, Trendy & Unapologetically You!
Ready to turn heads and break fashion norms? At TheJacketWear, we believe clothing should be about self-expression, confidence, and comfort no matter your gender. That’s why our femboy crop tops are designed to help you slay your look while feeling 100% yourself! buynow femboy croptop
By David Femboyabout a year ago in Pride
The True Story and Double Life of Billy Tipton. Top Story - June 2025.
When Billy Tipton died, the world finally noticed him—but not for his music. It was January 1989, in Spokane, Washington. Billy collapsed in the small home where he'd quietly raised a family. Paramedics arrived too late. He was 74. A jazz musician, semi-retired, father to three adopted sons, partner to a woman named Kitty. To anyone who knew him—really knew him—he was a gentle, private man who had lived a decent, ordinary life. The kind of man who made spaghetti from scratch, taught his boys to balance a checkbook, and still tinkered on the piano at night.
By Tim Carmichaelabout a year ago in Pride
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.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard about a year ago in Pride
Intersectional Mental Health Disparities. Content Warning.
This is a researched opinion paper for a Social Services & Behavioral Health class, and I figured that I wanted to share it with the world. I believe that the points touched upon in this paper are valid, now more than ever in this political climate.
By C.M.Dallasabout a year ago in Pride
Name Me Thunder
DedicationFor the ones who look in mirrors and flinch, but stay. For the hands that bind, the voices that stutter, the bodies that linger too long in shadows. For the souls who loved themselves in fragments, and called that act holy. You are not broken. You are the storm the silence tried to outlive.
By S.L. Jamesabout a year ago in Pride
Embracing and Owning truth!
To some, it may seem like an exciting time in which to be living, to others, these are times for weeping, mourning and gnashing of teeth. The world has exploded into a Renaissance and Rebirth of everything which was once hidden from the wise, the prudent, the babe and the suckling.
By Antoni De'Leonabout a year ago in Pride
Right here, waiting
Sweat fills my palms and my legs are shaking, almost failing under me. The first people began to flow out from the gate, tired eyes scanning for exits while pulling rolling bags. Breath left my lungs, I gripped the small little box tied with purple and black bows tight, looked out for one set of eyes in particular …
By Savannah K. Wilsonabout a year ago in Pride
Finding Pride . Honorable Mention in Pride Under Pressure Challenge. Top Story - May 2025.
Growing up, I didn’t see many LGBTQ people in media. The knowledge I had was limited to grade school insults and random things my older siblings told me. Like the time my sister chopped all of one of my Barbie’s hair off, called her butch and then had to explain lesbians to me. It always felt like I was watching something I wasn’t supposed to when a queer character did show up. I was still in grade school when Ellen came out on her sitcom and when Chris Paradis said “Oh Daddy! I’m a lesbian, a big one” in First Wives Club. Both moments intrigued me, and both moments opened up the entire LGBTQ universe for me. Soon enough, I had watched To Wong Foo, the Birdcage and even the sapphic classic Bound. Of course, I watched Gia religiously. I found solace in these characters, whether they were fictional or not. The things I was feeling deep inside were out and proud in these pieces of media, so why couldn’t I be? The more media I absorbed with LBGTIA+ faces, the less ashamed I began to feel. In junior high, I even had my first girlfriend, even if it was just puppy love for a few months. It felt so exciting to be true to myself, I could feel my pride in myself starting to grow and the phoenix in me rising.
By Josey Pickeringabout a year ago in Pride
When we Stand Together, We Expand Together
I am not queer. That feels important to say—not to center myself, but to be honest about the position I speak from. I don’t know what it’s like to walk into a room and immediately scan it for safety, wondering if a glance, a joke, or a single word might shift everything. But I know what it means to love someone who does. I know what it’s like to watch someone soften their voice or swallow their truth. I’ve seen people I care about carry themselves with quiet courage in a world that makes their identity a battleground.
By Annie Edwards about a year ago in Pride