I Built the Courage to Go to Pride, but Am I Having the Right Experiences?

What is Pride supposed to look like?

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My first summer out of the closet was in 2016.

At the time, I was desperate for any symbol of LGBTQ joy. I loved poorly made flags from Target, cheesy badges that fell apart almost immediately, and “representation” with such bad writing that I could not relate to the characters in any way.

I was not too far away from Austin, where Pride has become A Big Deal. Their main Pride events, however, do not take place until August. Don’t ask me why. My current theory is that the city wants LGBTQ folks to get heat stroke.

I generally do not go to many events in Austin unless someone else is driving. Some people enjoy driving regardless of circumstances. I am not one of those people. Even in the middle of nowhere, I’ll drive only out of necessity and occasionally out of laziness. No way am I driving into Austin if I can help it, especially not during a big event.

No thank you. Photo by John Gusky on

If I wanted to go to Pride in 2016, I would have had to ask my parents to drive. Additionally, I would have…