#i hope nobody says that im against asexual people because of this

[marinerainbow]

We all know the headcannon/theory that Jessica and Roger are asexual. And I like that theory! It's definitely sweet and sends a message of different kinds of love. And especially for Jessica, that just because she was made to be a sex icon, doesn't mean she has any desire for that sort of thing.

However, personally, I prefer to think of them as a demisexual couple. They trust and know each other so much, as seen in the movie. And then being demi could also send a message of their love; yes, they do feel desire. But they love each other so much that they wouldn't want it/don't feel it towards anyone else but each other.

What mainly got me thinking about this was in the Tummy Trouble short. At the end when Jessica and Roger are going home, it's actually Jessica that suggests they play pattycake. And Roger doesn't seem to Mind the idea himself. Though depending on how you perceive his "Pattycake!? Jeepers..." You could say that maybe Roger could be the ace of the relationship?

Also, in the sequel comic, Roger also initiates pattycake! I don't really fall on this as evidence for my theory though, since I don't really consider the comic to be canon. But it is still licensed by Disney, so I figured it was at least worth mentioning.

[cryptocism]

brooo hearing about your experience coming to terms as being both aro/ace is so encouraging, like hearing your take on it is so nice??? like love is everywhere and its not exclusive to romances 🥺🥺🥺

I'm in a similar boat right now, I'm still trying to figure myself out. I've known I was ace since I was like 13 (I'm 23 now), and I always assumed (admittedly desperately so) that I will have a romantic relationship because I didn't want to be left behind/miss out. but I've never been attracted to anyone and I'm really not sure if I've had a crush on anyone (I really cannot tell if I just really like hanging around her because we are good friends lol).

and its just nice to see someone else who is okay with just vibing around and having a tight knit group of buds :) !!!

I'm still figuring myself out but it's comforting hear so much support for being aro-ace, I think its something not a lot of people consider that often as it can be someone who loves so hard and is so open and honest with their emotions and love

but anyways <<333 thank you for this confidence boost and I'm sending good vibes your way

oh thank you! im glad its helped even a little bit.

ive found that a lot of discussions around asexuality take care to stipulate that "even if a person is ace they can still be in a romantic relationship". Which - im not saying that that shouldn't be clarified, because it's still a common misconception and its useful to acknowledge. But in my personal experience it became something i used for a good couple of years to reassure myself that i could still be halfway to "normal" (for lack of a better term). Which looped around to reinforcing my own internalized beliefs about prioritizing romantic relationships etc. etc.

acknowledging aromanticism for me was largely having to acknowledge my own fear of loneliness. nobody wants to end up alone, but i didn't know how to imagine my future without some kind of romantic attachment. which i honestly think is a fairly common experience within the queer community, yknow; what are you supposed to do when you can't imagine a future for yourself within the framework you've been given?

truly though i think the answer is in taking things one day at a time. make friends now, care about people now, love now. the future will happen however it does, and the only thing that will guarantee my loneliness is being so afraid of it that i allow it to happen.

learning to be okay without a romantic relationship is also something i would recommend to everybody, not just the fellow aromantics. it turns romance into less of a desperate bid against ending up forever alone, and more of a conscious choice you make to build a partnership because you actually like one another.

anyway the view looks great from my high horse and im definitely making a lot of this seem easier said than done, but truly im glad you have people that you care about and i hope you love them without reservation, no matter what that love ends up looking like.

[notsolong-pause]

ship requests

“hi! Could I get a ship for pjo/hoo and marvel? im 5'5, I have a curly mullet, and jet black hair, im also super pale and have big dark brown eyes, I also have 2 scars on my lips from falling and 1 on my chest from surgery! Im a pansexual, asexual demigirl, I go by she/they, im usually very quiet until i get to know you better then I wont shut up and am super loud, I tend to be very sarcastic and sometimes a lil mean, but I make sure to apologize if I hurt someone feelings!! I always end up being the therapist friend of the group and them over myself, im not an outdoor person and I really just like to look down on the city of a tall building and admire the view, I love to go outside and ride my bike, I speak a lil Spanish and French!! I love reading, writing and art, mainly art like painting, sketching, and music!! I love music and listening to it while looking at the city view!! tysmm!!”

a/n: Thank you for your request! I added the request from the asks, since it was more elaborated^) Hopefully, you like it

Marvel: 

I ship you with Sam Wilson

Okay, I think it’s a perfect match, tbh! He definitely needs someone by his side who doesn’t need therapy and can provide him emotional support back, since he’s always there for everyone as well.

He definitely knows when you need some alone time, and he can do his own work, read or fix something along your side when you’re working on some art piece. He would also admire your talent 24/7, because he’s not exactly surrounded by artistic people

You would make fun (in a friendly way) of the other avengers, and would always support one another’s jokes

Spending rainy days in the tower, reading in silence, and then bursting in laughter, talking about the weirdest things, which he might not understand, but 110% percent adores

Him always saying that your scars make you look like some badass movie character

New York was about to dive deep into the night, but, of course, the city that never sleeps was still full of life and lights. On the roof of the high building it was much quiter than on the busy pavements, and the view was simply breathtaking. And that is why you were sitting right there, headphones in one ear, legs crossed, wind slightly blowing the curls out of your face.

"Are you allowed to be here?" - a sudden voice shook your nerves, and you jumped up to your legs. None other than Sam Wilson was standing righ in front of you.

"Are you allowed to cause heart attacks?" - you fired back. Sam slightly smirked at your answer. "But seriously, what are you doing up here? You need any help?"

"Just... Watching, I suppose" - you shrugged.

"Well, it is very pretty up here. Even better while flying" - he smiled

"Can imagine. Why aren't you doing your super-hero stuff, or whatever you're supposed to be doing?"

"You see, I also need a couple hours of rest a day, in order, you know, not die of exhaustion. " - the smirk remained on his lips throughout the whole conversation, and you let out a small laugh.

"I see, well than, maybe you want to... join for a couple minutes, if you need any company"

"You bet I do"

Percy Jackson:

I ship you with Reyna Avila Rramirez-Arellano

First and foremost, she would be so into your hairstyle, always pulling your locks slightly, playing with your hair, when nobody sees her, because she's supposed to be tough.

Her teaching you some new Spanish words and practicing with you, making compliments in Spanish

She would trace lines along your scars gently, because she definitely thinks that scars make people beautiful and unique

She would ask you to go and watch her training, because your oppinion and approval matter to her, even though pretty much nobody else's does

When you start talking to her, telling about many things, being passionate and loud, she would simply glare at you softly, listening, opening up step by step

"I like your hair" - you and Reyna were on the grass, your head on her laps, fingers tangled in the curls.

"I like your nose" - you answered, looking through half-closed eyes. It was warm, everyone else was somewhere else, it was just the two of you, and Reyna warmed up a little as well. Her hair was loose, features relaxed, armour off - it was rare to see her like that, and you loved it.

"I like your lips" - she said, and there was a faint smirk playing on her face. You pulled yourself to your elbows now facing her.

"I like your lips too" - you gently tugged Rayna's hand, admiring the contrast of her tanned skin against your pale. Your faces were closer and closer every second. "You're gonna get a sunburn" - whispered Reyna when your lips were about to unite. You laughed and dropped on your back again. "I like your laugh" - said the girl still barely above whisper.

You were smiling, feeling so many tenderness for the seemingly tough girl - "And I like you"

Ahhh, I hope it's okay. I relly ship you and Reyna now, you would match so perfectly!! Sending love <3

[absolutelyabby23]

Rationality and Philosophy (Analogical Oneshot)

Summary: (Hurt/Comfort) Logan always has the answers. He always knows how to comfort Virgil. Virgil starts to doubt how much good he can do for the relationship. When Logan starts having doubts about his own life, Virgil must find his own way to help.

Word Count: 1,094

Warnings: Swearing, mentions of self-doubt, anxiety surrounding driving, and spiraling thoughts. Let me know if I missed anything!

Author’s note: Oh my goodness I’m actually writing a Sanders Sides fic again! It’s been a while. College got really busy and I couldn’t find a lot of time to write. Thanks to some encouragement from the “Logan'' in my life, I was able to find the motivation to write again. As always, likes and comments are appreciated! Also, feel free to drop some prompt ideas in my ask box. I mainly write Analogical, Prinxiety, and Logicality. I hope to create more content soon. I especially want to create a DnD oneshot to go with my college AU soon!

Curiosity in college is not an uncommon occurrence. Students are constantly curious about their course of study, where the best place is to eat, when the next test is, and even about how other students manage and engage in relationships. This was the case with Virgil Evans and his boyfriend, Logan Sanders. People often asked Virgil how the two met and how they were pulling off such a successful college romance amongst the many hookups and breakups surrounding them. Virgil thought about this often and was able to come up with his own explanation.

Virgil, accompanied by his stormy personality, was like a hurricane. His anxiety and generally pessimistic attitude could be considered unpredictable and detrimental at times. His overthinking tendencies were the winding winds that swirled and twirled around in a dangerous dance. Logan, with his calming logic, was like a brick building in the middle of all of that. Logan stayed strong even when things threw him for a loop. And the brick building, in this case, was also capable of shooting a laser that could remove the danger and calm the storm. After Virgil thought about it for a while, he considered this analogy might not be the most straightforward. Oh well. He was more known for his anxiety, not his rationality.

These kinds of ponderings made Virgil begin to question his relationship dynamic. Was Logan really the only one contributing to progress and solutions during times of distress? He started to think back through the course of their relationship. Logan had done so many things to help Virgil and keep their relationship strong.

Virgil remembered how Logan read about grounding exercises and helped keep him calm at parties. He made sure that Virgil never felt alone and was comfortable enough to wander outside of his comfort zone. Had that ended in Virgil drinking a bit too much wine and telling some freshmen girls how he was going to be the husband of the teaching major across the room? Well, at least he had made some genuine friends.

Logan was always there even during the little events. Virgil began to think back to a time that he was forced to take the freeway because he had missed the turn onto his beloved, backroad route.

“Why are they so close to me?! They’re gonna run me off the road!” Virgil wailed as he sped shakily along. He felt as though all eyes were on him and his less than stellar driving. He could hear the chorus of horns on the verge of harmonizing in a strangely symphonic manner. In reality, nobody was going to honk at him as he was driving just fine. However, in Virgil’s mind, the very road was on the verge of collapse. Suddenly, a reassuring hand was gingerly placed on his shoulder and Logan’s voice began to block out the panic with his smooth, almost rhythmic tone.

“Virgil, I understand your fears when it comes to driving. Operating a vehicle can be a dangerous task and a huge responsibility. However, you need to trust yourself and know that you are more than capable of handling the task at hand.” Virgil felt his anxiety symptoms start to lessen more and more. Logan had him focus on the exit numbers to ground himself and before one could say “falsehood,” Logan and Virgil had arrived safely at their destination.

All the evidence seemed to point to the fact that Logan was the more beneficial partner in their relationship. This concept kept bothering Virgil throughout the next few days. The doubts and worries were still whirling about in Virgil’s head when Logan asked him out on a stargazing date on top of the chemistry building.

The conversation started normally. Jokes were made about recent episodes of their favorite podcast between silent bites of the sandwiches made by their mutual friend Patton as a surprise for the happy couple. Virgil never minded the silence between him and Logan. There was a sort of secure peace to it. However, as the night went on, Virgil began to notice that the silence was being filled with spirals of words much heavier than the usual flirty and light, domestic banter.

“I mean, what if teaching isn’t my ‘thing’ to do, Virge?” Logan rambled. “I mean what if I’m horrible or hate my job or become a terribly mean person or-”

“Logan!” Virgil interrupted. “You’re going to be a great teacher! You are the smartest man I know. You can solve every problem and you know when you need to learn as well. I’m sure everything will work out fine.” Logan sighed in response, clearly not believing Virgil’s sudden outburst of optimism. Virgil was suddenly struck with an idea.

“Look up at the stars,” he instructed. Logan refused at first, looking at Virgil with that “what does this have to do with anything” look. But, after pulling Logan closer and tilting his head up so it was leaning against Virgil’s chest, a quick kiss on the forehead convinced him to look.

“Those stars are infinite. Imagine that you had to create a picture out of them. If you had to follow the exact patterns of the ancient constellations, your choices might be limited. It would be easy to get frustrated following that designated path. But, guess what! You don’t have to follow the pattern! In all that chaos, you can choose any line lengths and skip or include any points of light. Hell, you could even throw a satellite in just for fun! The picture is then whatever you want.

It’s just like your career path. You get to choose what kind of teacher you want to be. You don’t even have to choose! You can be whatever you want to be. You can get lost in the chaos of the cosmos or find some kind of insanely genius logic in all of it. But, either way, I’ll be exploring by your side.” Virgil finished with a blush as Logan looked at him with wide, blue eyes.

“That was… astute,” Logan grinned as he gave his boyfriend a kiss on the cheek. Virgil took account of a few things after Logan had fallen asleep on his shoulder. The first was that Virgil now knew he was capable of taking care of Logan in his own way. The second was that the two were capable of navigating uncertain times just as they had navigated the traffic-filled roads of the freeway. The third was that, despite the fact that his arm was falling asleep, Virgil had never been happier.

Taglist under the cut (Let me know if you would like to be added or removed!):

@completelyclevername @monstercupcake61176 @sanders-sides-thuri @tinysidestrashcaptain @minamishipsit @whyamihereohwell @smokeyrutilequartz @misty-the-mysterious @author-trash @madly-handsome @tree4life25 @cloudchaser7 @logically-asexual @freepaperie081 @anony-phangirl @remmythepegasis @hanramz-the-fander @cinquefoilelove @octopushugs @romanssippycup @i-am-absolute-fandom-trash @vexation-virgil @grey-lysander @poisonedapples @robanilla @cheezeykat @heyzpeoplez @pheartheraven @beenlightenedboi @bubblycricket @changeling-ash @hi-disappointed-im-daughter @louvrejpeg @namirastar @deathbyvenusftw @ilylogan @violetmcl @angered-turtle @confinesofpersonalknowledge @blacknightmare37 @sanderstalker

[its-an-inxp-again]

Hey

Idk if you ever got the answer to your thing. But I’m a person who is queer but regularly uses the term lesbian to make things simpler. I can tell you why I hate the phrase monosexual- it feels transphobic to me- I am not attracted to men at all, but I am attracted to women, non-binary folks, gender queer folks, and agender folks. If I was with a partner and they transitioned to be a man I would still love them. That wouldn’t change. Sexuality is fluid and calling someone monosexual seems to erase that and really put people in boxes. Everyone has exceptions. And as someone who has identified as bisexual and pansexual in the past and find those not to suit me and fit right (especially since I am not sexually/romantically attracted to people physically/based on appearances- it’s more about personality and what I could do with a person)

I don’t mean this in an antagonistic way, I really hope it doesn’t come off that way(I’m bad expressing myself sorry).

(I’m sorry, I know you’re not trying to be rude. My answer, however, will sound rude and upset because you touched upon some stuff that needs a lot of unpacking to me lmao. Just know this anger is not necessarily directed at you but at biphobia in general.)

Why do bisexual people may need to use the term monosexual?

A. It is descriptive

I see what you mean but as you said you're queer and lesbian is a term to make things simpler, right?

So I wouldnt call you monosexual because you’re clearly not attracted to only one gender (but if you want to who I am to stop you?). Monosexual is someone who is almost exclusively dating/is attracted to people of one gender. There are plenty trans people that are straight or gay that would NOT date a partner if they realized they were a different gender. For real: kat blaque made a video (here it is if youre interested) on youtube about this - she’s trans and she wants to date men and wouldnt feel comfortable on continuing dating if a partner of hers realized they were actually a trans woman all along. She wants to date guys not girls and that's FINE it just means A. She actually recognizes the girl gender, obviously B. She's straight af and that's wonderful! It’s not a box if that’s how her experience is and she likes it that way!

Also how is being monosexual transphobic? Cant a girl just like guys exclusively (both cis and trans) or like girls exclusively (both cis and trans)? It's not even enbyphobic since you dont need to be attracted to a person to support their rights. (Gay men arent attracted to women but can be 100% feminists.) Being open to fuck somebody is not the same as supporting their rights: fetishization is a thing. Again, I refer to the video Kat Blaque made.

Sexuality IS fluid but to some people (like me and you) it is more than others. Some people don’t feel comfortable dating people that dont fall into the gender theyre usually attracted to and thats 100% okay.

B. It helps in talking about biphobia and panphobia in society

Biphobia and panphobia are for the large part based on the assumption that you cant be attracted to more than one gender (not even non-binary and so on) and that if you do you're weird/disgusting/mentally ill/a sexual predator. I can tell you 100% that's the narrative both straight and gay people can and may perpetuate since I struggle w this kind of shit every single time Im attracted to someone no matter their gender (YES, EVEN IF THEY'RE A GUY, BECAUSE THE OTHER DAY I WAS ATTRACTED TO A GIRL AND NOW I FEEL LIKE A FUCKING ANIMAL THAT CANT CONTROL ITSELF, even though it makes NO sense because if it was two girls or two boys the actual number of people my hormones activated to wouldnt change, but it would make my experience not subjected to biphobia!). I’m not saying gay people are the same as straight people. But I do feel alienated BOTH from heteronormative society AND from (subtly biphobic) gay spaces because of my bisexuality. I costantly feel like I’m outside both of those worlds and you know how humans are: I just need a term to encompass it all easily, to say “I don’t identify with any of this” (which is both straight and strictly gay spaces: ie, monosexual). To me is literally the same as saying non-bisexual/non-pansexual.

I dont mean to say lesbians or gays have it easier or are just like straight people. But we do have different experiences and I need terms to express that. It honestly doesnt matter to me if you identify as lesbian or queer (though I think you’re implying you’re more queer than anything). But I do need a term to talk about how society at large treats sexuality; ie, as a monosexual thing. Another concept that’s been thrown around is bi erasure. A strictly monosexual society is bound to view a girl dating a girl (or girl presenting) as if theyre both LESBIANS and erase a queer person the moment they’re in a m/f relationship, because people cant COMPUTE that it may not be the case and that the girl dating a cis straight dude isnt betraying her queerness.To think so is basic biphobia.

In some ways, I think it’s the same as when transgender people started using the term cisgender - which is applicable to both straight people and queer/gay people. They simply needed a term which meant “not-trans” as they were saying “I dont identify with this” (ie the cisgender experience). Does it imply that cisgender people, no matter if queer, have something in common? Yeah, yeah it does. Does it imply that queer people are just the same as straight people, or face no oppression? Of course not. Seeing people being offended upon being called monosexual feels like people being offended upon being called cis to me.

Also, saying that the terms bisexual people use are transphobic is almost implying that bisexuality is inherently transphobic? Or reeks to me of that kind of rhetoric. I use the terms I need to use, just like any other marginilized group does, and nobody outside of that group has any right of denying me that. It’s like I’m trying to create a safe space for myself and people like me and yall come around to judge us YET AGAIN. And I'm just tired of hearing this bullshit. I could accept this kind of criticism only if it came from a trans person themselves, I guess? But it’s not usually trans people who accuse us of being transphobic, in fact, many trans people identify as bisexual and use bisexual terminology lmfao.

“Hearts not parts” rhetoric

Finally, about personality being superior to physical appearance. That's amazing but I do want to note that, not you necessarily, but many people who are into the “hearts not parts” rhetoric are, how can I say this. Slut-shaming people? I’m not sure if you are doing this but I feel it needs to be said just to be sure. A lesbian trans woman can be just attracted to a girl for her physical appearance and just want to fuck her - and THAT'S OKAY. That's fine. I am a sexually attracted to people and that doesnt mean I have to form a deep bond first. Sex positivity is about accepting that people can feel like this and not shame them for this. "Hearts not parts” rhetoric has in the past infantilized, sanitized or outright shamed other queer experiences. It's fine if you feel that way but dont start acting like you're morally superior because of that. That's catholicism with extra steps. My bisexuality its not the symptom of some predatory and animalistic thing that should be purified into something more palatable and less sexual. That’s the same thing they used to say about gay people and now gay (biphobic) people are using this against us. That’s also the kind of thing trans women (especially if they’re sapphic) constantly hear every fucking day. Queer people have a good part of their discrimination rooted in the shaming of purely sexual desires. Forcing ourselves to be more palatable and less sexual is just respectability politics. I’m tired of it. (This is obviously different from being on the asexual spectrum: but you dont see ace people going around pretending they’re morally superior than everybody else, and many are actually very sex positive)   You would still love your partner if they were a different gender: that’s great, but that’s not how some (most) people feel, and they aren’t superficial because of this, just different from you.

Also, I think you’d really benefit from hearing a trans person say they don’t care if someone has genitalia preferences. Here it is. This obviously doesnt mean that every trans person will feel like she does, but it does mean that we can’t generalize trans experiences/preferences/what they feel transphobia is. Just like straight people dont get to say what’s homophobic or not, cis people dont get to say what’s transphobic or not. The definition of those terms relies entirely on the community that is targeted by these things.

I hope this wasnt excessively confusing but I wanted to make my point clear.

[telling-our-stories]

Coming out stories

A heads-up. These are the original stories, however, they are anonymous. This wasn't intentional, I just screwed up and didn't tag. These stories, aren't mine, so if I've posted yours and you want it taken down. Please, just ask me.

Alright.

I am tired of people who are against the LGBTQ+ community. Its alright to have an opinion. It is not alright to put people down for being themselves. The first pride was a riot, a fight for what they believe in. I'm trying to do the same. I'm trying to gather the stories of the fallen, the ones who are still standing, the people who are willing to fight for everything they are. And I am fully willing to take a stand and fight to prove we exist. To prove that we're here, and we aren't backing down.

Hello, my name is Dustyn. I'm here today to collect stories from the LGBTQ+ community. There's a lot of people who are against us, which is exactly why we need to stand our ground. I'm not asking for a fight, I'm asking for your stories. My story is not yet finished, though I'm a bisexual trans male. Our stories are important, because they show who we are and how far we've come. I've struggled a lot in my life, but I've made it. So have others. Here are some of those stories. We'll start with mine. I've gone through many identities, mostly trying to figure myself out. I'm still doing that. My family doesn't accept me for me, but I have many friends who do. There are so many accepting people in life, and I appreciate all of you who are proud to be who you are. Whether closeted or not, you are all valid and amazing.

"Hello my name is Melissa and i am bisexual. My family didn't really have a harsh reaction to it other than the fact that they didn't understand it at first. That was most of my trouble was people saying that bisexual wasnt valid. Im sorry mine is so short but i think the moral is that you are valid. No matter what you identify as on any spectrum in the LGBTQ+ community. Also even if your outside of the LGBTQ+ community and your just an ally. We love you and you are all valid.”

"Salutations everyone. My name is Talan. I am non binary, panromantic and i am currently between asexual and demisexual. I was raised in a very christian household where my mother and father had very strict beliefs. They believed that being anything but straight and to me being anything other than my assigned gender was a sin, and many people still say that to me. When I came out to my dad he flipped, he took me out of school for a year and put me in online school. During this time in my life I had reached a dark time where i thought that it was never going to get better but trust me it does. I am still living with my dad who does not accept me and at this point we don't talk that much, but it does get better. We have gotten to the point where we can have a civil conversation with each other and im back in school. I have an amazing girlfriend and multiple qpps who i love very much. Everybody at school is very loving and supporting. Remember that family is not chosen for you, you make your own family. If you ever feel down than just know that there are so many amazing and kind people in the world who love you for who you are, no matter what that may be. You are loved."

“I'm glad you reached out to me, anything to help people understand more about the LGBTQ+ community. I am 19 now and I came out to my family at the age of 14. My parents were the typical ones who said it was just a phase and it would not last but here I am five years later and I made it through. There was a point where I had no one to turn to but then i met my amazing boyfriend. He helped me through the good and the bad and showed me that there were things to stay for. I am now in college and pursuing a career in photography at the University of Arizona. I hope that could help a bit!”

"Okay. Well. My coming out experience was definitely not expected in the slightest. I was in the 5th grade. Realizing that I liked both boys and girls was quite the revelation. I had a lesbian friend who was the first ever gay person I met or knew. I remember being backstage of a show I was in and just crying through the words, "I know I'm supposed to love guys, but I love girls too". After that. I didn't tell anyone else, until 6th grade. I was a track meet and a group of people I sat with was talking to my lesbian friend about kissing. I forget the exact conversation, but I spoke up and said I would kiss her. A Christian girl in my class was nearby and heard. She was disgusted. Therfore by the end of the week, I was completely outed to my entire school. It was ugly, but it got better over time I guess. I'm a junior in high school now. I have yet to come out to my parents, but at least I know that I am finally comfortable in my my sexual orientation and gender identify (demigirl, which I didn't figure out until a few short months ago)."

"Hey, I haven't actually come out to everyone yet but I have told a few people and all of their reactions were positive "oh you're bi? cool" and that was it. No "so do you like me?" or anything which was super great. So I was "straight" and when I heard about the LGBT community I was "straight" for about another five days. I did some thinking and realised I'd actually liked girls before, and shortly after came out as bi to a few of my close friends at the time. They were all supportive, bar one who said "you're just looking for attention lmao".Coincidentally, she had also come out as pan and had received the usual "you're attracted to pans?". I go to a Christian school, so it would be pretty disastrous if the news leaked out, but naturally it did. Not everyone knows, maybe about 10% of my grade. I suspect some teachers found out about how some people were LGBT (not many though, there's about 5 of us), because our dean of year gave the "you're too young to know that" talk. Mostly at school we get sheltered from all LGBT news and details at all, and my parents hadn't told me much about it either, even though they are supportive and would be okay if I came out as bi."

"I'm bisexual. I first came out to my elementary friends over the phone 3 years after we went to different middle schools. They were mostly all so accepting and I was so overwhelmed I hung up on them. I spent a few minutes laying on the ground clutching that phone to my chest, I'd never felt so loved. I cried and cried and cried because these people atleast the ones who accepted me see me different now but are okay with it. Two years later, now, I still haven't come out to my parents. I still need a few years but I'm a little bit more open at school now most of my friends accept me. Others were cut off, I can't do that with my family so they still don't know. Not as if they would take me seriously either way. I want to get past college get a place a stable life then maybe I'll be ready, just maybe. Thank you for listening to my story."

"I was surrounded by my Uncle and his husband for years. I always knew that gay people existed. When I was younger I never thought anything different of myself; I thought I was one of the boys.

 It never really clicked that I was the only one who saw it that way.

When I was 7, my mother and sister suggested I take dance I shot them down saying "that's for girls."

They didn't get it.

I wasn't entirely sure what came over me in that moment either but I know it felt right.

As myself and the people I knew grew up I realised I wasn't happy with the way I looked. I tossed it up as your typical dislike.

~every girl went through that at my age didn't they~

All the girls I knew were so happy that they were becoming women and I just sat in the back wondering why I didn't feel the same way.

I still didn't get it.

Once my depressed state got worse I decided to read into ways to love yourself and your body.

I started taking selfies, dressing up, wearing heels and makeup, forcing myself to sing even though I hated the way I looked and sounded.

It got worse.

I broke down when nobody was looking and acted like it was fine; like I wasn't praying that whatever I was feeling would go away for even a second.

And one day I looked in the mirror and I thought "this isnt right. This isn't me. This isn't what I want. Who in the hell is that person staring back at me?"

And I accepted it. That I would never be who I should be. That I would never be happy. Because nobody would love me. Nobody would want me. And nobody would accept me. Because if I was happy then that meant my family wouldn't have had the little girl theh thought they had gotten.

And up until recently no one knew that I broke down every night, that my thoughts got so bad I wanted to drown in my own tears so that maybe it would all be over. Because to me coming out to them was worse than death.

And here I am years later. My family knows but they don't care. They don't try to comprehend that this repression it kills me all the time. So I gathered my money got myself exactly what they told me they would never let me have and I lie. I go behind their backs and I live like the man I really am online. I bind my chest and I hide from their sight and when they ask I say it's just their eyes.

Because if they knew - if my mother knew - they would rather me suffer day after day than be who I am."

"heyo, i read your post and id like to put something to it.

i am a part of the community, havent came out to my parents yet, because i know for a fact id be sent to a psichologist or thrown out. but i am me online

an old friend of mine is a trans guy and found me a few weeks ago. he said he saw that i support LGBT+ and it was so comforting for him. a friend who i haven't talked with for 9 years!after he told me that he lost half of his family for being himself, his dad ignores him since, but he has a boyfriend and got his life together

and that i could be a little comfort for him is really nice. even the people who are closeted can be helpful in the community."

"Well, my mom took it well. I had gotten stuck in my closet and then she got me unstuck and I told her I was queer.

My brother, we were sitting in the car and he told me he always knew, but I had to keep it a secret from my dad or else bad things would happen.

My friends hugged me and started to use my name and pronounsSo coming out to my dad and stepmom, it wasn't even a coming out but a forced outage.

They took my phone away the night of a Panic attack that I still have nightmares over and searched it. They read all my messages.... everything.

I wanted to scream for it to stop, but I knew it wouldn't. They told me that they loved me, but I had to stop being me and I have to go back to being a girl who was cishet

But once you have a taste of freedom of who you really are, you can never go back ...I couldn't hide again. I just had to wait till I could spread my wings and be free somewhere else."

"Ok so for the thing you tagged me in, I don’t exactly have a coming out story yet, and I’m not sure of my identity entirely. I’ve tried out tons of labels and am sticking with queer at the moment just cuz it takes the stress off of picking an extremely definite word to describe me. I came out as queer last year, but I don’t consider it a coming out story because 1) I only told my friends and not my family, and 2) queer doesn’t completely define me. In real life, I’m doing my best to go back in the closet, but I think my “friends” may have told other people who spread rumors around my school, so it’s been difficult. A bunch of people make random references to me liking boys (I’m amab) and it made me uncomfortable enough that I started telling them I’m straight. I’m planning on staying as far in the closet as possible until people get more accepting and I understand myself fully."

"It's not a coming out story (mostly) but it's a realization of sorts.

Yesterday our Social Studies teached asked us to form groups and discuss a contemporary issue that we would present at the front in a few minutes. Long story short I suggested LGBT+ community and rights, which my group mates accepted. I live in a really conservative country (with at least 81% of the entire population identifying as Christians) and that's an extremely taboo topic. It ended up leading the teacher asking us to raise our hands if we believed the lgbt community should be allowed Civil Union, not considering religion an all. I was so afraid to raise my hand, but it was what I believed in and I couldn't live with it if I didn't show it, so I raised my hand. I didn't really do this as a member of the community, I wasn't thinking of myself. I was thinking of a world where this is accepted in my country, where I can go outside and be open and love whoever I wanted to, and I guess the idea of standing up for what I believed in was what pushed me to do that. A big majority of the class was against, and I was just so afraid even though some small logical part of me knew they would not do anything.Today, our Civics teacher had us grouped again to make a live news report and once again, my group (international news) got assigned lgbt+ community because of our listed problems yesterday. I suggested interviewing a member of the community and basically came out to two people I knew were trustworthy (nearly all three other members in that group but thank God I think the third one did not hear) and we agreed that I could be used if I only had my voice recorded and edited to not sound like me. Just a few hours ago I found out that one of my classmates, who I thought was a nice sweet boy, turned out to be a big homophobe. "Sodom and Gomora and Liberals are teaching unnatural things" kind of guy.I guess that broke something in me, because another thing I was really passionate about for when I grew up was this certain job, though no one supported me. I used to want to do that so much the idea of anything else repelled me, sometimes the idea of the other more "acceptable" jobs brought me to tears. Somehow this one admission that I thought everyone should have the right to at least a civil union and finding out my classmates didn't believe in that crushed something in me hard enough that I lost the passion to do that job I wanted. It makes no sense how this connected with that apart from the fact that neither are things I have been or would be supported on, but I guess seeing that this world isn't really safe made me lose hope.I felt scared to raise my hand, almost like I was actually coming out (which I now realize I'm absolutely never doing to many of those people) and the realization that some place I thought was a safe space for me, because all of those people in that class, I thought I could trust them. I've been with them since before I could spell "friend" correctly, they're family to me, I believed I would be safe and accepted, and then came to find out that wasn't quite the case...But well, basically I was terrified then crushed to find out that I could have outted myself to a group of people who would not take my news lightly

Found out some people I thought were friends thought people like me were broken

Found out some people I used to have the biggest crushes on didn't even believe in letting people have a civil union."

"I’m very excited to see brave people like you ready to start a revolution, so I thought I’d share my, sorta, coming out experience.

So I have divorced parents meaning I’d have to come out to four parents. This happened mainly last year. I was pretty sure I was bi, (tho I now identify panromantic demigirl) I knew my dad and stepmom would be great with it, and they were. But when it came to my mother, well, she wasn’t really homophobic, but she had different ideas about how a gay person should behave. She outed me to her after overhearing a convo with my friends. She then told me I was too young, and gave the “its a phase” talk. She knew I was fairly open about it because I lived by a motto to “be so myself that other people feel brave enough to be themselves too” But she believed a gay person should keep it a secret. Nowadays I don’t believe in the process of “coming out” I am open about my sexuality and gender but I don’t do formal coming outs. I always believed that if straights don’t have to, neither should I just because I “don’t fit a default” My mother wants me to come out to my stepfather even tho he already knows. I thought sharing a coming out story that also showed you should never feel obligated to come out. My mother guilt trips me about it, but I remain rooted in my beliefs that I shouldn’t have to come out, which I think is valid.

Hope my story can help anyone and just wanna say you are so so valid, amazing and powerful and should never feel pressured to be open if you don’t want to. Long live the revolution!!!🏳️‍🌈."

"Hello! I read your post about collecting LGTBQA+ stories and I thought Id share my brief experiences as a bi girl from Germany ^^

Tbh I never made a big deal about coming out, as I personally feel it goes to show that we're revealing a wierd secret, and Id like my sexualtiy to be something normal, not a main identifying characteristic. And everyone of my friends or classmates that I mention it to appear to have no problem with that whatsoever, and as far as I know Im not percieved as predatory either.

My family, however, is a whole different matter. While Im sure that my mums side of the family would be perfectly fine and my parents know already, when youve heard your fathers parents talk about eastern europeans and other immigrants using only slurwords and your uncles parents have expressed their absolute disgust about seeing a gay couple enjoy a nice picnic at the park, you get very cautious about who you tell. Especially since I dont want to put the supportive family in the position of having to consider whom they can talk to about this.

Another thing that Ive noticed after my exchange year in Sweden and seeing my first pride, though not having the time to attend, on my way there in Copenhagen, is how little support my country gives to this community from a social perspective. At my swedish school, all the teachers had a rainbow keyband from a *seminar about LGBTQA+ people*, something Im sure Germany would never do, and all of them kept it. There was no question whether you support us or not, it was an acceped part of social life and no big deal; we even did a private introduction round for pronouns!

And then I came back here. During pride month, there were no rainbow decorations, the most I saw of a parade was two discarded paper flags on the ground afterwards. When I vented about this to my ally friend, she only said that "some people and companies just like to stay neutral". Try all of them in Germany, but sure.

I know our community has come far, but I can also see that it isnt fsr enough, and that is the fight I am still fighting.

Hope this helps ^^."

"Alright. Mine isnt that interesting but I'll do my best :)

I came out as bisexual when i was in the sixth grade. It wasnt a huge deal to my mom. She said okay and we went on with our lives. Around the end of that year, i told her i thought i was trans and she said i wasnt. I came out to her again six months later and she said the same thing. There was a lot of yelling. Mind you, she isnt transphobic at all. The third time... she was so done with me. She yelled and so did i. It took four different times for her to accept me, and even then, i had to do the last time over text because i was scared of her reaction."

"So, my name is Ell. I identify as queer and demigender. I don't know what to say here really early than it's important to find others like you when you're not as close to your family as you used to be. Because of your identity. My family is more accepting than most, but still. The community online is so so important to me, and this project makes me really happy. So thank you. "

"I was at sea world and my mom was in the car I was talking about how my dad was super homophobic. My mom says that my dad acts like it’s a disease I said will if it is then I have got it, My mom is understanding and says that she will love me no matter what."

"So, I’m non-binary and bisexual. That’s a big no-no in a latino family like mine, it’s always grow up, get married with the opposite sex, and have kids. I don’t know why I felt that I could just say anything to my mom one day and she immediately objected. “Are you sure you’re not a lesbian or just confused? You can’t like more than one gender. Also, what’s this about a non gender? You’re either a boy or a girl, that’s it.”

Thankfully after a lecture and me apologizing (though I did nothing but tell her more about me) she let the subject go. I’ve never told my dad because I know mom just will get in the way and say I’m lying again, but at least my friends are understanding and almost completely LGBTQ+."