Celebrating Pride Month at Prism Boutique

Happy Pride Month! We’re celebrating by highlighting some of our favorite LGBTQIA+ creators and getting their insights on the causes they care about, the organizations they support, and how they’ll be celebrating.

Moorea aka @mooreaseal
She/They

What did it feel like to realize you were gay and begin identifying as non-binary? 

I had the common and uncomfy experience of being raised within a religious family and was technically the eldest preacher's kid, the example other people in the church held their kids to. The pressure to be perfect was soul-crushing. I was an undiagnosed Autistic kid who took every word told to me very literally and seriously. So though I was in love with my best friend as a 6-year-old in rural England and devastatingly missed her when we moved to the US when I was 8, I didn’t realize it was a huge crush. I thought it was familial love.

My dad’s parents hinted at me throughout my childhood and teen years that, “Hey you might be gay” in the gentlest and most affirming of ways. But I was so repressed within religion that I thought, no way, other people can be gay but not me.

I love deeply, I have massive unconditional love to give. But sexuality wasn’t something I allowed myself to explore until I was an adult. My first kiss was a boy assaulting me in high school. The first time I had sex was with a man I eventually married. He told me he was bisexual which I found really attractive but later closed himself off and said he was “just straight.” And as his repression grew, I began to open up and explore my identity more.

I heard the word “non-binary” when I was 30. And suddenly it felt like my identity had been named. I was very androgynous as a child, often mistaken for being a boy and extremely uncomfortable when my feminine body parts were pointed out by others. I worked so hard in therapy for years to accept what is physically “femme” about me. I’ve always felt androgynous inside. And when I found the word non-binary, it was like I finally found the name of my inner self. I have worked hard to accept the term woman, so I still use it alongside the word that freed me: non-binary. You can be all. 

The more I explored my identity through the lens of being non-binary, the more I felt well, alive, free, and secure. And it led me to a deeper understanding of my sexuality. I am pansexual, I’m attracted to people who are gender fluid and allow many selves and presentations to exist. I'm more attracted to the energy of a person than body parts. And I don’t find myself sexually attracted to people very often, it’s rare. I’m not attracted to hyper-femme or hyper-masculine folk, a more binary way of being just doesn’t appeal to me, though any person of any gender spectrum or presentation is to be respected and is beautiful.

I got divorced at the end of 2019 and began dating people who aligned more with my energy slowly as the world started to open up from the pandemic in 2021. And in 2022 I met my now partner Vic who is the agender dreamboat I feel SO lucky to be in love and partnership with. Witnessing them in all that they are and knowing they can and seek to understand and respect all of me is the all-encompassing love I’ve always dreamt of. And our love and acceptance of one another only exist because we’ve both worked hard to learn to love and accept ourselves. I wish that self-love and love of others for everyone.

What LGBTQ+ issues are most important to you?

Health care and housing. Queer people in America are so less likely to have access to life-saving care and we deserve better, most especially the trans and BIPOC queer community. Queer people in America are more likely to end up unhoused thanks to discrimination within family systems, educational systems, and governmental “law” on local and nationwide levels. We need allies in positions of power. And as allies stand for our rights, you know we’ll stand for yours too. There is so much intersectionality within so many important causes in the US. We’ve got to stand together.

How will you be celebrating Pride?

I’ll be participating in local Pride events on the little island I live on outside of Seattle, WA and I’ll be making conscious decisions now and all year round to support small businesses owned and run by LGBTQIA+ members and small businesses that support intersectional rights for all. My friend and musician K Van Petten lives with their partner on the same land as my partner and I, and we’re both creative Gemini spirits with birthdays 3 days apart. So we’ll be having a big Solstice Party on my birthday and will bring all of our queer community in Seattle and Tacoma over to the island for some queer, rural, dancing, and music-making in the forest celebration!

What's one charity or organization others should know about and support?

Since 1981 the Lambert House LGBTQ+ Youth Center has cared for, championed, and celebrated over 15,000 individual minors and young adults through over 500,000 service contacts. Lambert House was founded by a child and adolescent medicine clinic director to address the physical and mental health disparities experienced by LGBTQ+ youth. These include suicide, homelessness, substance use disorders, survival sex, HIV, bullying and school failure, among others. Lambert House is the only social service agency in Seattle and King County (Pop. 2.25 million) dedicated solely to LGBTQ+ youth. Recently, Lambert House's online programs have served LGBTQ+ youth living in 28 U.S. states and eight countries on six continents.

Coda aka @codamarcus
He/They

What advice would you give to someone struggling with their identity?

It’s so funny because I still feel like that kid who could use some guidance himself, lol!

My advice is to explore your joy, baby! That’s really what it boils down to. It took me foreverrrrrrr to come out. Sometimes I regret missing out on moments when I could have felt as free as I do now. But everybody’s timeline is different. We have to meet ourselves where we’re at, and find the courage within us to be that person! That light within you will ignite your path and those inspired by its brilliance. 

What LGBTQ+ issues are most important to you?

To me, our most pressing LGBTQ+ issue is the livelihood of Black Trans women. Violence is continually perpetrated against them, and without confronting issues around the most marginalized of us, we cannot proceed in our pursuit of true pride and acceptance!

I was called a half-woman a few weeks ago. Rooted within our society is a deep misunderstanding, fear, and ultimately hatred of those who do not fit the mold. I do not identify as a trans person, however I am often perceived that way. More than ever we must fight for those on the fringes of society, so to speak, who face danger because of who they are and the unwillingness of others to truly accept them.

How will you be celebrating Pride?

I am a June baby so it’s a party all month! As I grow a year older, my idea of celebration is evolving. We are living in the most difficult of times, most can’t even afford to really survive, let alone thrive, as we all deserve to be!

I’m always asking myself how I can sustain myself at this point in my life. What can I do that brings me peace and joy? And can I afford it (beyond just financial means)? How do I resolve feelings of loneliness or anxiety when the weight of the world feels absolutely crushing? Some days I must embrace that I have made it to the other side. That has to be enough for us all! I don’t get to be with my most special friends and family as often as I’d like, but remembering that they are there and that we will be together again keeps me going!

What’s one charity or organization others should know about and support?

Brave Space Alliance is an amazing Chicago organization that I’m proud to shout out! They are all about providing resources and social services to queer folks, specifically those who exist along that intersection and are from under-divested communities.

I’ve recently come across Operation Olive Branch, which has comprised a list of Gazan families seeking refuge amidst the war in their home country. We must stay up to date with injustices around the world, and stand up and speak out when we know it’s not right- especially when we think it has nothing to do with us!

Logan aka @logancharel
She/Her

How did you first come out, and what was that experience like for you?

I’ve known I was queer for as long as I can remember, but around the end of middle school, I came to a deeper understanding of who I am and decided to just be me, letting people discover it in their own time. When I was younger, ‘coming out’ was more about ‘coming in’ to myself and becoming who I truly am inside. Once I understood myself better, the whole idea of ‘coming out’ didn’t really make sense to me. I realize it’s a privilege not to have to ‘come out’, and don’t get me wrong, I did have to explicitly tell family members. But I spent so much time with my own feelings that I knew it was just who I am. I made a decision early on that if anyone couldn’t love or accept me for who I am, then they didn’t deserve to be in my life. Realizing this was a powerful experience, falling deeply in love with myself. I owe all of my self-confidence today to my younger self and the approach I took to “coming out”.

What LGBTQ+ issues are most important to you?

The escalated suicide rate of our LGBTQ+ siblings hits closest to home for me. That may seem like a broad issue, and there are many issues underneath the issue of suicide as a whole, but the fact that anyone feels this world is better off without them in it instead of them being exactly who they are is the biggest issue of all. The world would be a better place if everyone was able to comfortably be their truest and most divine selves. Our community deserves better mental health services and better care for displaced LGBTQIA+ youth. We need these authentic, amazing, and beautiful people here on earth and they need to know just how much they’re needed here.

How will you be celebrating Pride?

I’m celebrating Pride by taking a moment to appreciate how truly wonderful it is to be gay. I’m proud of my partner, myself, and the life we’ve created and we plan to enjoy each other’s company, just like any other month. It’s not always easy to be exactly who we are, but we always choose that no matter how hard it can be. Pride month sparks important conversations with family that don’t always happen otherwise, so I’m grateful for this dedicated time for celebration and acknowledgment. It’s a mix of feeling proud of who I am while also feeling a cloud of fear about celebrating safely in today’s world. Despite the fear, we’ll be attending events like Futch Night, spending as much time as possible in lesbian & queer spaces as well as supporting the WNBA by going to games in person and streaming! We’ll also be hosting parties of our own, with an open door to anyone who needs a safe place to be themselves.

What’s one charity or organization others should know about and support?

I am a huge fan of Trans Defense Fund Los Angeles and the work that they do. The core of how we got where we are today is hugely due to the work that trans women of color have done and continue to do, yet they are arguably the least protected. Trans Defend LA sheds much-needed light on this issue and also provides safety kits as well as self-defense classes to our trans siblings. I believe this support is vitally important to the LGBTQIA+ community. You can find out more about what they do here and consider donating here.

Autumn aka @ceceliautumn 
She/Her

How do you identify? How has your understanding of your identity impacted other parts of your life?

I personally identify as queer and it is one of the most rewarding parts of my life! I have been privileged in my experience and work alongside my partner to create space for the queer community in everything I do. I feel so lucky to be embraced with such support and am so excited to celebrate Pride with Prism this year!

What LGBTQ+ issues are most important to you?

Among the many issues LGBTQ+ have to fight for, one that stands out for me is medical rights. Bringing awareness and funding to this research broadens the aid we can give to our community! 

How will you be celebrating Pride?

I typically celebrate Pride by attending the month-long events I am so fortunate to be near like WeHo Pride, the Hollywood Fringe Festival + more!

What’s one charity or organization others should know about and support?

The Los Angeles LGBT Center is an incredible organization that offers services, resources, arts, and programs to trans youth, senior members, survivors and so much more.

Please take some time to check out all the mentioned organizations and give if you can. We hope everyone in our community and beyond has a happy and safe Pride Month!