1. Thank you for hosting this and to everyone contributing to the festivities <3
I would like to claim the raffle entry.
**Afternote, fever fog is real so I'm hoping my gush makes sense, but if not I'll edit later when no longer sick lol

I've been pretty lucky in my experiences. I've made some of the most amazing friends through the community. I love how most of us can literally connect on so many levels just by saying "I'm xyz (insert any part of LGBTQIA+)". I find that the community in it's entirety is just full of creativity, life, and sooo much kindness. Granted I've not been in a ton of heathy or long relationships, but almost all of the best ones have been LGBTQIA+ and I remain friends with those people. I feel like there's more emotional maturity and understanding(again in my experience) within the community. Also! It's hard to be yourself and be out sometimes and we all have so much courage whether we're out openly or just to ourselves. It's the bravest thing when you can admit something to yourself that usually changes your life. I love all of yous <3

*copied and pasted from master thread xD*

I think my biggest positive experience in my journey to be many flavors of fruity has been all the lovely humans (most of them Sylestians) along the way. Especially my partner, who I met via Sylestia! TomRiddle, the snekiest of lads, 5 sneks in a trenchcoat, is many fruit loop flavors and has helped me accept myself and be my most colorful self. It's still a long journey, and it's been full of ups and downs, but it has been worth it to meet all of you lovely colors of the rainbow.
Happy Pride, may there be many more with my LGBTQIA+ family.

I want to enter the raffle! MLM Rikki, thehe :3c

Prepare for the cringiest lgbt+ story I have:

As a trans person who wasn't out of the closet at that moment, I had a friend who had a crush on me.
I really liked him, but I wouldn't want a relationship where I have to be a women, since I am simply not.
It took me a while to also come out to him, but he didn't push me away as I thought he would...
Actually, he told me that he was bisexual and was too afraid to ever tell someone that he is and that my coming out does nothing in case of his feelings.
Today - around 3 years later - we're having our 2 year anniversary in august!

Thanks for hosting this event! Lol I was wondering about all the pride pets on discord, guess I was out of the loop and not reading things again. It's honestly been really fun to see what you guys were working on!

This past week I've actually had a positive pride experience with my partner. They've always wanted to be a drag queen but due to family issues and a lack of body positivity, they've never felt good enough to actually do drag. Well, my cousin, who has experience in drag, and I got together and hatched a plan. We're going to do their hair and makeup and I'm going to let them wear my clothes. I got them a dress and we're gonna give them a spa day too. I don't think I've ever seen my partner's eyes light up like they did when I told them about this plan. Since this, they've been more confident with who they are and they're starting to embrace their genderfluidity rather than hide it. It's been wonderful watching them get to come out of their shell for the first time in years. They're finally proud of who they are. They radiate with this air of confidence I've never seen from them before and it's incredible, truly it's beautiful.

Wow! These are all very lovely~

About two months ago, someone in my school asked why I don't wear dresses and stuff (because of my short hair and clothing choices), saying I'd look pretty if I did. Now, I talked to this kid maybe twice, and I'm not very comfortable in most dresses. My friend happened to overhear it, and honestly, their response made me laugh. "Excuse me, /they/ won't dress like you suggest because /they/ are neither a king nor a queen, but a royal in between! Now, off you go, commoner." I still giggle a bit recalling this.

My personal favorite experience within the LGBTQ community is probably from my high school days. I helped form a club in my school for the sake of community and support, and it ended up just turning into a shared snack time. :D
On a more serious note, we would do fundraising for kids who needed help with gender-affirming clothing or seniors who wanted to change their names before graduation. When I reached my senior year I also found out that the seniors "adopted" all of the underclassmen who weren't out yet, and I find it really wholesome that we all just flock together.

If by some chance I win anything in the raffle, I would appreciate a NB pride pet, but I don't really have a preference. ^^

Thanks for hosting pride events.

I know this one might be odd, but its not often in games I play are we allowed to host pride events. So a positive experience I have is seeing events like this. Where we can be ourselves in a safe environment. It's nice to feel safe in a world where being apart of this community is unsafe. So thank you to anyone who does anything pride related. Or just sharing their experiences.

I grew up with many friends in the LGBTQ+ community. I have always been an ally, but never felt that I had a place in it myself. All I am really comfortable saying here is this year feels a bit different, mainly because of my boyfriend - who most of you know - Smokey. He's extremely supportive, his ability to listen without bias, and his openness to others' perspectives has always impressed me. Very recently his support has helped me with my own journey and he is an amazing ally, so wanted to give him a shoutout.

Thank you for hosting!

I'd like to share one of my stories. My best friend is gay, I've known it for years...but he has never said anything. It's not something that is obvious, in our circle I'm the only one that knows. But I know him well, and figured it out pretty quick. I never let him know, I have always tried to respect his wishes. I just hoped someday he would be able to talk about it if he needed.

About a year ago, he called me fairly drunk as he'd had an incredibly hard time coming out to his family. He didn't tell me this initially, just that he was upset. I made it clear I was listening and here for him. And he finally worked up the courage and told me. I just told him that I knew, I've known for years. And I'm so grateful that he was able to talk to me. It doesn't change a thing, I love him and always will. He has a champion in me, and any time he ever needs he can just reach out. His family has finally accepted,and he is in a great place mentally. He's so very brave and I'm very proud of him. <3