Happy HoliGay!

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Just so you know, Vocal has a vibrant Pride Community with around 1,256 creators and over 2,000 stories. We recently had a Vocal challenge called the 'Represented' challenge, and the winner was Zivah Avraham with her story “Constant Craving.” It was a huge moment for the Pride community to have our own challenge, and we’re super proud of all the winners and everyone who participated. You can check out all the submissions, including the winners and runners-up, right here.

To foster our sense of community, some members came together to create a Facebook group called Queer Vocal Voices. It’s an amazing group that keeps growing every day! This Facebook group enhances the existing Vocal Pride community, giving us a space to chat, share our stories, and support each other. If I’m not mistaken, being new to Vocal and Queer Vocal Voices, I believe Oneg in the Arctic and J Delaney-Howe started the group, which currently has three admins: Oneg in the Arctic, J Delaney-Howe, and Savannah K. Wilson.

There's never a boring moment at QVV! We’ve got fun little challenges to keep us writers engaged, like the Alphabet challenge that Savannah K. Wilson hosts regularly, along with Oneg's Shoutouts. More than anything, it creates a close-knit space for us to support each other's work. Even though I’m pretty new here (just joined in September), everyone has been so welcoming and kind. It feels like the members genuinely have each other's backs when things get tough. We share our hopes, dreams, and fears regularly, and there’s something really special about that bond we all cherish.

Just yesterday, we had our first-ever Queer Vocal Voices Zoom HoliGay party, and even with the short notice, seven of us showed up! J. Delaney-Howe, Oneg in the Artic, Sam Harty, R.C. Taylor, Muchtar Suryawan, René Peters, and F Cade Swanson were all there. We played a scavenger hunt game where we had to find items around us for a fun little show and tell. If I recall correctly, we had to find things like three left shoes, our favorite item, something bendy, and an item that started and ended with the same letter (I picked a straw). With my 20-second memory, I can’t remember all the items! lol! We also wrapped up with a quick Haiku about the QVV admins, and René Peters won, so she’ll be getting some well-deserved shout-outs as the Supreme Winner! YAY René! Great job! We had some writing prompts too, and we finished off with an open mic that was a blast. I usually hit up a lot of open mics on Zoom but there’s something uniquely thrilling about sharing with a community of LGBTQ+ folks. Huge thanks to Oneg in the Artic for organizing everything! I’ve heard whispers about a possible QVV Open Mic in the future, but you’ll have to check with Oneg for the scoop on that!

Just a little personal insight: I’m likely the oldest person in this community at 63. I’ve been through a lot of tough times and heartache just trying to live my life as an LGBTQ+ person. But I’ve also witnessed the incredible resilience of the Pride Community. We’re like that train that just keeps on chugging. Things have definitely improved since the 70s when I was growing up, but there’s still a journey ahead. So why not become a member, ally, or friend of the Vocal Pride Community? Support your LGBTQ+ writers because we’re HERE, we’re QUEER, and we’re not going anywhere anytime soon! :)

Thanks for reading! - Sam