Identity
Could gender BE any more confusing? *exasperated sigh*
Why does gender make no freaking sense to me? I swear - when I try to think about it - my brain powers off and I am left to press (more like impatiently jab at) the power button over and over with no success. Only a dark, blank, screen staring back at me.
By mouse fairy4 years ago in Pride
Their Own Words – A Better Man (Part Four)
When I first sat down to compile my memories of Craig into this story I really had no idea where this journey was going to take me. I did mention previously that he had once asked if I was going to write a book about him and I have actually been thinking about that lately. Maybe I should write a complete novel that is based on his life? There certainly seems to be enough material for one and somehow I think it would be fitting. I can also think of quite a few young actors that would be excellent choices to play him in the movie version of his life! :)
By Mark 'Ponyboy' Peters4 years ago in Pride
I'd Rather Play the Harp
Most of my fellow Aces would tell you that they'd rather have cake than have sex, but since weight is an issue for me, I'd rather play the harp. You wouldn't think that my personal preference to abstain would be a matter of any concern to the world at large, but, OH, IT IS!!!
By Gentle JoJo Fletcher4 years ago in Pride
The Undercover Patriot
It was time to board the oversized bus. I said my final goodbyes to the small town of Eureka, Kansas. The CoachWay express was taking me to my new home, or should I say my new life. As I climbed the giant steps that lead to the inside of the vehicle I glanced at the driver, he looked rundown like he just ran a marathon or something. He starred forward the entire time as if he was caught in a trance. He didn't look healthy enough to drive at all. I hope it was just me being paranoid. Maybe he recently woke up and the caffein hasn't kicked in yet. I continued on my way to find my seat assignment. I strolled pass the other seats, gazing at the seat numbers and looking ahead to see if anyone was sitting in my row yet. There was another soldier already there sitting in J-25 B, my seat was J-25 A. He had a tempestuous look on his face like someone was making him enlist. Or maybe he just got some bad news from a girlfriend who broke up with him because she doesn't want to do the long-distance thing. Maybe he is in pain, I don't know. I tend to over analyze things at times. I can't help it, it's just who I am. I don't believe I'm a pessimist but sometimes it seems like it. I am a happy person and full of life. I would give you the shirt off my back, for a lack of a better term.
By Lamar Wiggins4 years ago in Pride
Why I Don't Like the Pronoun Question
I have always had a contentious relationship with gender. When I was little, I was a boy. Every adult I encountered contradicted me, and I forgave them because I thought they were just confused by my long hair. Girls had long hair, and boy didn't. I thought that if I could just cut my hair short, they'd stop arguing with me. Adults wouldn't let me do it, though, because, they insisted, I didn't want to look like a boy. No, grown ups, that is exactly what I wanted. Obviously, or I wouldn't have requested it. I never had a very high opinion of adults when I was a child when they were clearly this thick in the head.
By Crysta Coburn4 years ago in Pride
The Lotus Requiem
“The Lotus Requiem” Good evening everybody, Welcome to my last post here at The Narrative Daily. I would like to start by thanking all of you brave souls who for the past 4 years have been constantly sharing your stories with me and the others. Your truths have inspired and strengthened everyone, and for that, there are no words that can express my gratitude.
By Alexandru Nornguard4 years ago in Pride
Telling My World I'm A Lesbian
(1) I was in sixth grade when I first saw two girls kiss on TV. I was watching Pretty Little Liars with my mom, transfixed as Emily and Maya lost control to the click of a photo booth. My mom didn’t look up from her color-by-numbers app, but I was stunned. (2) I noticed that the way I felt when my hand accidentally brushed my best friend’s wasn’t normal. I shared a xylophone with her in band class. She smelled like eucalyptus and her hair was shiny. (3) I went to church with my dad and stepmom the weekend of the Pulse Nightclub shooting. Nearly 50 people had died, and the priest said they were probably in hell. “We’ll pray for them, but they made their choices,” he told a crowd of nodding heads. My stepmom told me I misinterpreted what he said, her haughty tone echoing from the car’s front seat. I couldn’t stop my leg from shaking long enough to protest. (4) I told my friend group that I thought Lucy Hale was pretty. They laughed and told me I wanted attention. (5) My best friend told me that she thought I was pretty during band class. She whispered. (6) I told my dad while we were driving home from seeing Potted Potter in Chicago. He loves corny Broadway shows. We were stuck in traffic because there had been an accident, but once that cleared up it was a quick drive home. (7) Heaven by Troye Sivan convinced me that that priest was full of shit. Laying in my bed at two in the morning with my earbuds blasting, I felt more sure than ever. (8) My mom asked me if I liked girls while Castle on a Hill by Ed Sheeran was playing on the radio. That song was way too overplayed, but it grows on you. (9) I told my grandparents last, sitting at a table, eating waffles for breakfast. My grandma has always made the best waffles, so they’re reliably on the table any morning I stay with her. I burst out with it and their calm, knowing reaction made me cry. (10) Taylor Swift sang “all these people think love’s for show, but I would die for you in secret,” and that’s what I did while I waited for my girlfriend to come out. (11) She finally told her parents after three years of dating and two before that of pining friendship. We were free. We broke up seven months later. (12) Watching Pretty Little Liars again, my mom’s face scrunched up as a teacher-student relationship is further romanticized on screen. A love ballad blasts as the student waits five minutes to follow the teacher to his apartment, looking over her shoulder as she walks through his door. “You can date whoever you want Emma, you can date an alien for all I care, but never let someone treat you like that,” my mother would rant. To hide my smile, I made fun of her for having a “teacher moment” while curled up in sweatpants and eating pizza rolls. (13) I never actually told my stepmom, but she started talking to me about how much she liked Ellen and Kate McKinnon, so I was pretty confident I didn’t have to. (14) What I didn’t tell my mom was that my best friend was my girlfriend. Three years later, when I finally told her that, she stormed into her room and we didn’t speak for two weeks. (15) When I was in preschool, I heard my grandma say the word “lesbian” while we were in the car. I asked what a lesbian was as I reached over the consul to get more M&Ms, and my stepmom uneasily answered “a girl who likes other girls”. “I like all my friends who are girls, I’m a lesbian!” I realized excitedly. The two made faces at each other and laughed; “No, no you’re not” my grandma told me. With that, they closed up the bag of candy, not wanting to spoil our dinner. I tilted my head to look at the blooming trees outside, not pushing the subject any further. (16) I rewatch Pretty Little Liars sometimes, because the coming out never really ends. Your hands still shake and you still notice every reaction. It doesn’t get easier, but the list goes on.
By Person McPerson4 years ago in Pride
Authentic self
Authentic self We all have something within ourselves, some of us have talents of many and creative minds we all develop a different sense of. I adore the many talents and strengths I possess. With the many talents out in the world and some of the one's I encounter include artwork and singing. In high school as a senior project, I had used my art skills for it . As everyone else stood up to show off their talents and things they love doing, it was my turn to stand up and show what I can do. Well, one of the few things I can do. At first, in the beginning; I wasn’t sure of what I wanted to do for my project. Once I heard of it and what we had to do I could think of one thing I really, really, really wanted to do. That was to sing.
By Unique Johnson4 years ago in Pride
Fantage & Other MMORPGs: A Queer Awakening. Top Story - December 2021.
Six months ago, during the height of Pride Month, I wrote about some of my favorite LGBTQIA+ creators where I naively referred to myself as a "cishet ally." Since then I've done a lot of self reflection and ultimately, a lot of healing from childhood trauma leading to me being able to admit, for the very first time in my 23 years of life, that I am not straight. To be honest, the signs were always there.
By C.R. Hughes4 years ago in Pride
I Guess It's Time to Come Out Now
I feel like part of me is still scared to say the word… “bisexual.” It’s bizarre to write it down when it was a word I fled from for so long, a part of my identity I denied for the first eighteen years of my life. I told myself I just thought girls were really pretty. I honestly thought that. I allowed my life and my understanding of myself to be hindered for so long because of the heteronormative culture I was surrounded by growing up.
By Saloni Rao4 years ago in Pride
