• nick [he/him]@beehaw.org
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    1 year ago

    I finally slapped a straight ally sticker on the back of my car. As a cis hetero male, I want LGBTQIA+ people in my community to know that they’re seen and that they’re safe and accepted where I’m at.

  • Link.wav [he/him]@beehaw.org
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    1 year ago

    Yet another reason I wear my Pride stuff is that I’m a generic looking cis white dude in a remote conservative state, so people assume I’m as bad as they are, and it keeps bigots from approaching me and confiding in me their most disturbing hot takes

  • Klinkertinlegs@beehaw.org
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    1 year ago

    I wear a pride band on my Apple Watch nearly every day, and I am cis/het. it, like the “you’re safe with me” button on the back of my wheelchair, are signifiers that I’m a safe person if someone needs it. Also, the watchband is f’ing gorgeous and hopefully helps normalize pride wear in my small, not progressive area. It pisses of my bigoted FIL also.

    I know that some people might get mad a a cis/het man wearing pride stuff, and I get it, but hopefully I’m doing a net positive action. It, as well as sometimes painting my fingernails, and having a lavender phone case, help me fight back against my internal misogyny. My internal reaction of “that’s a girly thing and I’m a man, so I can’t do it” has already reduced a significant amount.

    Im also not entirely sure my sexuality is as set in stone as I used to think. But I’m old and happily married, so it’s not like I’m going to explore that part of me, but if I was young and single with this newer view on life, I could definitely see my sexuality being more fluid than it was when I was searching for a life partner.

    Hopefully that all makes sense and isn’t offensive. I’ve got 30+ years of bigotry fighting against 7ish years of being a decent human being. Sometimes I don’t get the idea across without sounding bad.

    • spicy_biscuits@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      As a queer person–I can’t speak for every queer person, obviously–but personally, I’m all for cis het people repping the rainbow, especially when they’re doing it to signify they’re a safe space. Thanks for being cool ✌️

    • AnarchistArtificer@slrpnk.net
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      1 year ago

      I think you explained this pretty well, and you hit on a significant point about internalised misogyny.

      I’m a bi woman who, as a general rule of thumb, has the dating preference of “anyone but cis-het men” because I’ve found that ace, bi or trans men have often been forced to work though a lot more of that internalised misogyny than most men (as well as having more community support to do so)*.

      It sounds like a big, ideological stance, but it’s just a way of reducing the likelihood of dating someone who would refuse to drink a “girly” cocktail, even if they think it’s delicious. It’s only a rule of thumb though because as you highlight, it’s possible for anyone to do the work to unearth and work through their internalised biases. I wish there were more straight dudes who wouldn’t be scared of people thinking they’re gay. Gay people get asked out by people of the opposite gender all the time, it shouldn’t be a big deal. The societal pressure is real though.

      I’m glad you shared your experience, it was nice to read. It’s good to see examples of positive masculinity, because there’s a lot of examples of toxic masculinity in the discourse and that can lead to the incorrect impression that masculinity or men in general are bad. In my experience, men who are aware of these issues are generally happier and healthier than their peers.

      * This isn’t to say that LGBTQ men are immune to toxic masculinity, no group of people is a monolith ofc

  • Digital_man@lemmy.one
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    1 year ago

    This may not be the right place for this discussion ( I apologize if it is!) , but as a cis hetero male , is it supporting the LGBTQIA+ and being an ally wearing LGBTQ branded clothes ? Or am I being the problem ? I want to do what I can to support and be an ally 😅. Thanks!

    • Link.wav [he/him]@beehaw.org
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      1 year ago

      I’m a cis gay male, and I wear three pro-trans shirts on rotation. It’s items that say things like “trans rights are human rights,” so it’s suitable for an ally.

      If you just straight up wear the colors, I doubt anyone would be offended but might think you are LGBT2QIA

    • heartlessevil@lemmy.one
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      1 year ago

      I don’t think anyone would take offense to that. However, some guys may think it’s an indicator that you’re gay. Which can lead to them talking more candidly to you about LGBT issues, or even hitting on you. It starts to be an issue when you present as gay and don’t correct people. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queerbaiting

    • Wahots@pawb.social
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      1 year ago

      Oh dude you are fine, no sweat at all. Regardless of orientation, you can wear whatever you want. That’s the beauty of equality, baby!

  • Rin@beehaw.org
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    1 year ago

    this is incredibly important. I started having asexual pride stuff visibly with me (bumper magnet, metal ttrpg dice) because I had never saw anyone with that before. I hope it’s able to bring reassurance to someone.

  • VoxAdActa@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    In August, for the first time in my adult life, I’ll be living in a solid blue city in a reasonably blue state. I’m super excited that I can have a pride bumper sticker finally. I’ve always wanted one, but I’ve never lived anywhere it was even reasonably safe to have one. I’m not a coward; I just can’t afford to replace slashed tires or broken-off side mirrors.

  • opponent019@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    I wear pride because it took me 19 years to realize I liked girls and there was nothing wrong with me. Because the only examples of queers I saw were terribly mocked.

  • HandsHurtLoL@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    I recently have been coming out in professional contexts in my workplace and have never been the person who wears a lot of pride merch. I’ve worn ally symbols often, but not as a central point.

    I recently attended my first Pride event and I got a free wristband that I’ve been wearing every day since. I was thinking I would put it away after June, but this made me tear up. I think this should be something I sincerely incorporate into my self presentation so that others who need the safety know they can count on me for it.

  • BlackCoffee@beehaw.org
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    1 year ago

    I wear it because the gear is mostly just very creative and oozing with flair.

    It gives an enormous amount of flair to your wardrobe and I love the designs that companies come up with these days.

  • DJDarren@beehaw.org
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    1 year ago

    My wife does online exam invigilation, and has a pride flag on the wall behind her, in view of her camera. She had a learner comment that she felt better seeing it before taking her exam this morning. 😊

    • DJDarren@beehaw.org
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      1 year ago

      I’ve just remembered the post I saw on Reddit a few weeks ago, where some guy was bitching that he can’t wear his Six colours Apple t shirt, because people assume he’s wearing it for Pride.

      Yes mate, wouldn’t that be fucking awful…

  • talizorah@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    I’ve been wearing a rainbow pin and watch band for over a year, with the same idea in mind: hoping it made others feel safe and seen. I will support them to the end and beyond.

    I have a fear that my appearance overwrites any of that intention of goodwill, though. When I was struggling, members of the LGBTQ+ community were my only solace and are the only reason I’m around today. But those people never saw me physically, just spoke online. It’s sad to know my support of them and my undying thanks may never be seen past the person I am on the outside.

    • Gaywallet (they/it)@beehaw.orgM
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      1 year ago

      I don’t care how you look, if I see a pride flag on you I instantly feel more comfortable in your presence. I cannot stress enough how important such a small gesture is in this violent world

  • Ada@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    @xray I wear pride gear, because my queerness often isn’t visible to people otherwise, and I want the other closeted and scared queer folk out there to know that they’re not alone. So I tell the world who I am loudly and proudly