Pride PSA | Respecting All Community

Hello, ZA!

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Sky and Lil here to present another PSA together. For this month, an important topic for us all to discuss with our community is Pride, LGBTQ+, and all forms of identity and self-expression as well. June is Pride Month for those who do not already know, and we will be ing that in our community.

Of course, as always, Zelda Amino is a community of for all sorts of people, and we encourage diversity here as well as expression, as we want to make sure all here are able to thrive and flourish by showing off their true selves. However, we know that some may not understand the importance of the month, or what it represents. We want to restate our policies for protecting all s here for identity and orientation, and we hope this psa will be able to educate any s who may not be as informed on the topic and why we will it here.

Please be sure to read through the rest of this blog to learn the importance of pride, and how we will go about showing here, and how our Guidelines will come into play for protecting s too!

══✿══╡°˖✧🏳‍ :rainbow: ✧˖°╞══✿══

══✿══╡°˖✧🏳‍ :rainbow: ✧˖°╞══✿══

It goes without saying that Pride Month holds a very special meaning to the LGBTQ+ community. It is a time to celebrate who you are and who you love! However some individuals may dismiss this time as “showing off” or “boasting” about their interests. It is important to note this is far from the truth and June holds important history, officially noting it as pride month. Part of this PSA will go over this history and the movement behind this time to further educate those who may not understand the importance and what it means in of being able to express yourself openly. This month is not “showing off” or “boasting” but celebrating that freedom.

It started in 1969, the Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan, New York. In June, a gay bar was raided by the police force; during these times, the LGBTQ+ was not nearly as accepted as it is now a days, causing many people to cause discomfort, start fights, and both verbally and or physically abuse people of the community. Because of this attack, the community banded together to protest, hence beginning the famous Stonewall Riots, where LGTBQ+ and allies fought for their rights.

This stands as an incredibly important milestone in the LGBTQ+ due to it being the first step forward into equality for everyone, no matter their identity or orientations. In a time of harassment for LGBTQ+, it is important to acknowledge the bravery and importance of those who stood up for what they believed in. Not only did gays and lesbians stand up in 1969, but also transgender individals and people of color. Without them, we would not have the rights we have today or pride month. So this leaves us with other questions some may have, “why is there a pride parade?”

Amongst many strong individuals, there is one transgender woman that we have much thanks for, Marsha P Johnson. She was known as an activist for gay rights and played a huge role in the development of pride month. One year later, to celebrate their identities and protests, a pride parade marched through New York, specifically down the street the Stonewall Inn was located on. Once more, it is important to acknowledge the morals and beliefs of the time and what it meant to stand up and proudly march for LGBTQ+. In a time where people did not majorly accept the community, they fought against the hatred proudly with courage.

In thanks and celebration of the movement, June has been deemed as Pride Month, where people of the LGBTQ+ community can proudly celebrate this freedom and progression for acceptance. After reading this section, we hope to educate more on the history and help those who may have negative responses to the time understand the general importance and why it is to be respected.

══✿══╡°˖✧🏳‍⚧✧˖°╞══✿══

══✿══╡°˖✧🏳‍⚧✧˖°╞══✿══

With this month, it is a time of diversity and showing your nature, who you love and how you feel about yourself. We realize that not all s additionally are a member of the LGBTQ+ community too, which is okay too! from other sexualities/genders to others is especially important during these times; and we also wish to show our encouragement too for “straight allies,” or heterosexual s who still LGBTQ+!

Being heterosexual [straight] is okay during this time, as is being a member of LGBTQ+, the importance is ing that we are all together during this time, and placing those differences aside to that we are all still human as well! It is understandable too that some s may be against LGBTQ+ due to their personal beliefs or opinions, however we will ask as well that if anyone disagrees with the topic that all s remain respectful of one another and keep said thoughts to themselves; and to avoid sharing anything which could harm other s or invalidate their orientation or identity.

During this time overall, even if you do not show directly, we will ask that all s remain respectful of one another and understand the importance of the month, and the history which comes along with it. Diversity is welcome here on Zelda Amino, and we will continue to show and encouragement the best we can for s of all races, identities, orientations, and expressions. This is a time to celebrate who you are, and to show for minorities as well, which we wish to push for!

Additionally, with that said too, as previously mentioned not all s are a part of the LGBTQ+ community, which we do accept here as well! However, on that topic, “Straight Pride” is a negative rising movement we have seen too. While we understand and accept straight individuals too, Pride Month is a time of celebrating those who have been oppressed and discriminated against in the past for their choices of identity and sexuality. Heterosexuality is accepted here too, however the “Straight Pride” movement is not, as it is disrespectful and invalidating towards the LGBTQ+ community. We will accept uses of the Straight Ally flag, however any usage of “Straight Pride” will result in the content being disabled. This is a time to celebrate minorities, and those who have had to fight for their rights.

══✿══╡°˖✧🏳‍ :rainbow: ✧˖°╞══✿══

══✿══╡°˖✧🏳‍ :rainbow: ✧˖°╞══✿══

Sky and I decided to write this PSA, not only to spread awareness on Pride, but also to share and explain what Pride means to us from two individuals in the LGBTQ+ community. We hope our story resonates with you and helps you further understand, on a personal level, the importance of pride and how those in the LGBTQ+ are human just the same, no different to others.

For those that may be curious, Sky is a transgender woman and lesbian, and myself, I am pansexual! We have been together for almost a year and a half. During these times and beforehand too, we have both experienced discrimination for our identities and orientation.

Even to this day myself, her, and many others go through discrimination and traumatizing times due to our identities. These times are rough; they are hurtful and can leave a mark mentally due to someone’s words.

In nature, everything is a spectrum. Whether it be eye color, hair type, height, or something more elaborate, and the same goes for identity, orientation, and expression. There is no simple black or white, or red or blue answer. For many individuals, we fall amongst the graph and give ourselves a label to put a name to our feelings and to find each other. It is wrong to discriminate against these things, let alone because it is not a choice, but how we feel and something that makes us happy. Labels can help find ourselves, sort of like a missing puzzle piece, but no one should ever have to feel attacked or be attacked due to having one.

Instead, during Pride month and any other month, let’s all aim for and positivity towards each other. Take time to educate yourself, spread *good* information, and talk with one another. For someone who may have an unive household or friends, being ive towards who they love and who they are can mean the world to them. That is something both Sky and myself can attest to.

══✿══╡°˖✧🏳‍⚧✧˖°╞══✿══

══✿══╡°˖✧🏳‍⚧✧˖°╞══✿══

As mentioned earlier in the blog, even if it is against any beliefs of any s here, a certain degree of respect is also expected as well for other s here. These have always been, and always will be our rules on Pride, however we will cover them here as well for any who are not already aware too!

This is a time of showing for minorities who have not always been given the same rights as majorities, and any hateful or invalidating content targeted towards said minorities will be handled accordingly. Our policies on Zelda Amino will always be to show encouragement to all s of all types, and protect all ’s identities and orientations. If topics such as the LGBTQ+ community are against your personal beliefs, we ask that you hold any opinions such as that to yourself.

We want our community to stand as a place of love and acceptance, and any forms of suppression or derogatory content will be punishable by our [Guidelines]. Zelda Amino is intended to stand as a place of peace, and our staff team shall step in to handle any circumstances or scenarios accordingly.

If you notice any phobic or hateful content, such as anything against the LGBTQ+ community, please feel free to report it to a Curator or Leader and we will be able to step in wherever we can to deal with it! Or, if you would prefer to avoid confronting one of us, you are always welcome to flag the offending content too, which will send it straight to the community leaders to handle as soon as possible.

══✿══╡°˖✧🏳‍ :rainbow: ✧˖°╞══✿══

══✿══╡°˖✧🏳‍ :rainbow: ✧˖°╞══✿══

That is all for this year’s Pride PSA! We hope this can stand as a way to express our for LGBTQ+ community , as well as reiterate for everyone why and how we will handle any forms of phobic content in our community.

For everyone this month, please that we will do everything we can to ensure Zelda Amino is a safe and loving place for each and every one of you. Whether you are part of LGBTQ+ or not, open or closeted, we will be sure to do everything we can to make sure the community is safe for you all and you can feel comfortable here.

As always, if you have any questions or thoughts, please feel free to share them in the comments section of this post, and we will get back to you whenever we can. Thank you to everyone for reading through, and we hope to see you around the community!

Art Credit