At times like this, the world can feel like a particularly small and lonely place to be in. All being locked inside can be tough enough, let alone if you’re wrestling the rainbow monster in your head and questioning your identity.
We here at UNICORN wanted to remind you that, no matter how tough it feels right now, you’re not alone, and that however you feel is entirely valid. We sent a short survey out to a pan-el (see what I did there?) of awesome bi, pan and queer people to get their stories.
So whether you’re crushing hard on a friend, worried about coming out, or just feel like a pick-me-up to brighten your day, we can guarantee someone else is in the same boat.
But why just tell you that, when we can show you with some super colourful word clouds?
First Inklings & First Crushes
Some people seem to have known they’re not straight since they popped out the womb; others take their time and work it out quite a bit later. We asked our lovely pan-el to tell us how old they were when they realised they were bi, and who their first crush was.
Whether you’re 14 or 40, I guarantee you’ll have crushed on at least one person on this list (and we agree – Tom Daley is handsome!).
Coming Out & Staying In
Sometimes it can feel like there’s a huge pressure to come out when you’re still figuring things out. Hell, there shouldn’t be a pressure to come out any time: it’s your choice to do it when, and if, you feel it’s right.
We asked our pan-el if they’d come out, and if they had, when they came out, and who they came out to. It was a complete mix – and even included someone who baked a cake for their parents with their coming out statement iced on top! What a badass!
Anxious? You’re Not Alone
We asked all the lovely UNICORNs taking our survey if they ever had any worries about their sexuality, and lots of people replied with lots of different worries, from not feeling ‘bi enough’ to worrying about being outed to not having their relationships taken seriously. If you’re feeling anxious, know that you’re not alone – everyone gets worried about things, and sometimes it can feel overwhelming.
While some people told us that inclusive queer spaces help, others on our pan-el told us that they stress them out even more. We figured we needed some more ideas, so we asked our pan-el what stress-busting things they do to take care of themselves, or some of the good things about being bi they remind themselves of, and they came back with a bucketful of brilliant ideas.
*Shoutout to the person who didn’t have any ideas because they were too depressed – sending sparkly love and hugs your way, your rainbow family loves you, and we hope this helps you to feel less alone!
ShoutOUTs
Finally, we gave our pan-el the chance to shout out something they really wanted to say to you, and we were overwhelmed by the amount of love and support coming through. So if you need a pick-me-up today, take a scroll through these and see if they make you smile.
*Disclaimer: please don’t bite any homophobes’ knees, even if the comment did make us laugh!
Oh, and whoever Karen is – you ARE valid. We ALL are! In fact, just because there haven’t been enough cheesy puns for our taste, let’s leave it with one final shoutout from the team here at UNICORN:
Bi the way, queer all different – and it’s pan-tastic.
Love to you all! ❤️
Feature Image by Jason Leung on UnsplashWordclouds created by wordart.com
