LGBT
CO-EDITOR CELESTE SPAIN
PRIDE MONTH
Reflection BY CELESTE SPAIN
This pride month has been a ray of sunshine after the (metaphorical) rain of the past year. Well, for me anyway. Sadly most pride events have been online this month due to the current circumstances and times we are living in. However this does not mean that the pride celebrations have stopped, they have just taken a different form. For me, with this having been my first pride month, it has continued to be one of self discovery and starting to celebrate who I am as an LGBT individual! I’ve supported LGBT+ businesses, bought from them, shared my pride online with my close friends and discovered more about myself in the process. As I look back at my camera roll on my phone from the beginning of June to now, I can see a lot of lovely moments with family and friends. I see photos of me at the beginning of the month with my hair cut short for the first time since childhood. I’m smiling and in one photo sitting next to my Grandma, with me wearing a pride
necklace (she’s in our support bubble). I scroll forward a bit and I see the first pride month items I bought for myself and my friend for their birthday. Then I see a photo from a bookshop, where I bought a couple of LGBT books. The photos go on and each one brings me a little joy, reminding me of how much I enjoyed this month: a photo of a rainbow wristband my friend gave me, my profile pic for Student Life, a photo of a pride butterfly I keep on my desk. You could ask any of my friends what sort of person I am and I think they’d all say that I’m very creative, so yes a lot of poetry has been written this month by me to celebrate being LGBT. Then there’s my LGBT comics I’ve been drawing. My creative spirit has really helped me voice who I am through poetry and art this month. Pride month is definitely a time for not just being proud but learning who you are, celebrating you, getting together with friends and or family and celebrating the journey you’re going on in finding out who you are.
66 • I SSUE 45 • MY LIFE
