#ferrettales

Today is the start of Pride Month, so I wanted to make a post about these two pride buttons I wear every day at work (happy accident that they're placed right above "Proud Wal-Mart Associate"), and talk a bit about my experience as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. The bigger of the two- the pink, purple, and blue one- is the Bisexual Pride Flag. Figuring out that I'm bi took... A while. I always liked boys because, as a girl, you're "supposed to", right? But I kept seeing all the pretty girls in my class and wondering "what if", which was almost always immediately followed up by me telling myself that girls aren't supposed to have crushes on other girls. It's weird. It's gross. I don't even remember exactly how I picked up on that ideology tbh.

The first time I heard about bisexuality was when my best friend came out as bi, and I realized that hey, maybe that fits me too. There was some hesitation in fully accepting the term "bisexual" for myself. After all, I had never dated a girl before. Still haven't, if I'm being honest, but I'm not the type to make the first move and no girl ever asked me so 💁 That doesn't change the fact that my heart would flutter any time I saw a pretty girl (S/O to the cute lady in the McD's drive thru who I saw at least a few nights a week after a shift at Capt D's).

And, yes, I am currently in a very happy relationship with an AMAZING man, whom I love very much. ❤ But, just as dating a woman wouldn't automatically make me a lesbian, dating a man does NOT automatically make me straight, and it is very important to me that others know that.

Being bi is great, right? I get to date whoever I want, have threesomes (lol no), and I dont have to "pick a side". It's the best of both worlds. Except that there is SO MUCH biphobia, both in and out of the LGBTQ community. You would think an already marginalized group wouldn't want to alienate its own members, right? But there are those out there who think bisexual people need to "pick a side"; you're not really bi if you're in a relationship with someone of the opposite gender; you're not really bi if you're dating someone of the SAME gender (seriously, these are both arguments made against bi people); bisexuals are "more likely to cheat" (not true), which deters both straight people and other members of the LGBTQ community from dating us. We literally cannot win. 😞

NOW, onto the second pin that I display right next to my own pride flag: the Transgender pride flag. "But, Sarah, you're not trans," you say. And you're right. I'm not. But that little sentence written on that white stripe in the center? I'll go with you. This is a message to all of the beautiful, amazing trans ladies (and you are ALL beautiful and amazing) in the world that I will accompany you to designated "female" spaces if you do not feel comfortable going by yourself. This campaign started a few years ago when bathroom bills were being introduced across the US; these bills would restrict access for trans people to use public restrooms which match their gender and put many transgender people at risk of being attacked when all they want to do is pee in peace. So, to all of my trans sisters (and brothers) out there, I want you to know that you have allies. We see you, we support you, and we love you ❤

Happy Pride, 20-bi-teen 😘