Pride Month (Patreon)

Okay, let’s be real for a second.

Being queer can be exhausting sometimes. There are days where opening the news (something my Therapist told me over and over again is something I should not do) feels like voluntarily casting Emotional Damage (upcasted to level 4) on yourself. There are days where existing seems to have become a political statement somehow. And there are days where you'd rather stay in bed wrapped in a blanket burrito with your tabby cat and let somebody else deal with reality.

But Pride isn't just about surviving all that.

It's also about all the weird, wonderful things that come with being queer.

It's about finding people who somehow become family despite sharing absolutely no DNA (but a lot of shared trauma... I should really shut up...). It's about discovering that there are entire communities full of people just as strange and wonderful as you are. It's about realizing that the thing you spent years worrying made you different is often the thing that helps you connect with others.

It's about making your own rules.

It's about looking at a world that says "pick one box" and responding with "I have decided to become an entirely different problem."

Personally, one of the best things to come out of my own journey has been the people I've met along the way. Some of my closest friends, teammates, and favorite weirdos are people I would never have met otherwise.

I now regularly attend a transgender self-help group, and we usually grab something to eat after sharing our experiences. One of my favorite stories is still that it took me 5-6 years of Secretary development to figure out that I'm trans. 😊

Also, small world: at least five people in the group have played Secretary. Apparently I've been accidentally recruiting trans people all along.

The community isn't perfect (nothing involving humans ever is), but there's something genuinely wonderful about finding people who understand parts of you that you struggled to explain for years.

So this Pride, try not to focus solely on what we're fighting against.

Focus a little on what we're fighting for.

For the freedom to be ourselves.

For the joy of finding our people.

For the right to be weird in our own unique ways.

And for the simple fact that despite everything, we're still here.

That's worth celebrating.

Happy Pride, everyone.

Now go be gay. Or bi. Or trans. Or ace. Or questioning. Or whatever flavor of chaos goblin you happen to be.

The world already has enough copies of everyone else. ❤️

Pride has always been about resilience, community, visibility, and refusing to disappear when others would rather you did. And honestly? That's pretty badass.

Also related: Happy International Day of Latex.