It's June again! Not only are we halfway through 2023 now - but Pride Month has started too!

As someone who's been an out lesbian since she was 14, Pride has always been very important to me.

Expressing myself has always been a struggle - not because of anything relating to home or my upbringing, my parents are very supportive of me and identity! But as a neurodivergent person I've always felt like I needed to "fit in" to be accepted by well... anyone really. Sometimes I feel like an alien among my peers. However, y'know what's helped me out with that over the years?

Pride.

Being a part of the LGBTQ+ community has really helped me learned how to express my identity be unapologetically "me" and it's so very liberating.

I didn't have words for it when I was a kid of course, but I was always a lesbian. I didn't get crushes on boys. I didn't understand why other girls liked boys. I got easily attached to pretty girl characters on TV and would be glued to the screen when they appeared. I could never picture myself settling down and getting married to a boy. My childhood fantasies of how I would be as an adult always involved me either making my own cartoons solo or girlbossing it up as a rock star.

When I first read about LGBTQ+ identities, I thought I was aroace. I knew I liked girls, but I didn't think it was an option to (something something internalized lesbophobia), so I just called myself aroace. Then the year I turned 14, I watched live the most overt lesbian representation I'd ever seen on TV. At the time at least.

Jail Break, the season finale of Steven Universe, aired two days after I turned 14. Garnet was revealed to be a fusion of Ruby and Sapphire, and oh my god these two were so gay. It was not even subtle.

It wasn't like I had an epiphany watching the episode itself, I was more focused on the dramatic story arcs of what was my favorite cartoon at the time. But after seeing Ruby and Sapphire and the positive reception they got everywhere on the internet... in real life by friends... seeing gay marriage be legalized in the US not long after... something changed in me.

I felt like I could confidently say I like women. I felt like I could come out and call myself what I am - A HUGE LESBIAN. I came out to my parents, and I was more open about it online.

Thank you Garnet. Thank you for that. :)



And thank you every person online in this wonderful community. May we all have happiest, most festive Pride this year, and persist in the face of hate all around the world.

MOOD: Cool
LISTENING TO: Gimme Chocolate!! by BABYMETAL
WEEKEND PLANS: Get a haircut?