Hey everyone, my real name is Zach, and I am pretty new to posting on smogon, though I have lurked for a long time. I recently started playing some of the lower tiers on smogon, but decided to branch out onto the social side of smogon and happened to see this thread. I think it is awesome smogon has a LGBTQ+ thread! Since we have one, I decided to share my experiences as a member of the community.
So, I use He/Him pronouns and I am gay. I realized this in middle school I feel like, because I started noticing attractions to guys on my basketball team. The big issue though was that my entire family grew up in a more close-minded sect of Christianity. Because of this I spent about 3 full years of hating this part of me, and tried to get rid of it. Those were some darker moments for me honestly, but I got through them, and eventually learned to realize there is nothing wrong with being gay, it was just this idea that was implanted in my head from growing up with my family that it was wrong. I finally was able to fully accept myself when I was 15, and in October of that year for me, I came out to my mom.
This was a very scary moment, and my mom did not take it well. She thought I was going to hell for my gayness, and so she started sending me to "Christian counselling" sessions. Those were not very healthy for me at all, and really took a toll at my mental health. She made me switch schools as well for a "fresh start" since I was out to my school as well. I eventually did not have to go to the sessions anymore because for whatever reason my mom convinced herself that i wasn't gay anymore. And honestly, back then I didn't mind because I did not like the circumstances I was in. I was openly gay at my new school but I just did not tell my mom.
Two years pass and it is my senior year in high school. The last month of that year, I decide to tell mom that I am gay again because I realized after I graduate, I am fully independent, 18, paying for my own college, and so I felt like it was more safe than my first time. So, I did it! And at first it wasn't great, she was very unhappy and we were not close at all. But as time passed, she began to really miss having me home, and realized how terrible her judgement was.
Now it is the summer after my freshman year of college. I am 19, my mom and dad both are accepting of me, and we are also on good terms! I am in a relationship with a guy, his name is Hayden and i loooove him :) I am so glad I accepted myself and doing so taught me the importance of accepting others. I am glad I came out and through time have developed some amazing friends who love and accept me, as I do them.
Overall, LGBTQ+ has taught me the power of love. Love of myself, love of others love of humanity. In general, I think I have found more love and joy than I originally had through this community. A lot of people go through hard times for sexuality and gender and we shouldn't have to, but if you find support you can get through it and it gets better! And hey, thankfully there is a pretty big lgbtq+ pokemon community right here.
Happy to meet everyone!
Happy Pride Month!~
I am very happy that you have found your essence, it is very important that we in the community can overcome all these problems, because there is nothing wrong with us, we are human, we have a heart, our body is surrounded by blood, we are like any other person. As for Christianity, unfortunately the church still has a lot to evolve in this aspect, since they are old buildings, there is still the ritual and the ideas practiced in the past, but nowadays they are very outdated. Of course, not all churches and all church people are, but some still follow the same thinking as before.
I assumed homosexuality for my parents when I was 13, a very young age for such a determined boy. Well, my mother at first did not like it at all, she cursed me in every possible way and said that she just did not expel me from home because of my father, because unlike her, he accepted me the way I am and I said I just wanted my happiness above all else. Unfortunately, I never saw my mother again with the same eyes, no matter how much mistaken it is human, I am a spiteful person in this respect, and she did me very badly, my psychological was destroyed because of the things she did. I am much better now, I consider myself an empowered person, and I have never stopped telling who I really am for anyone, I can say that my essence has always prevailed within me since I was sure I was a homosexual.
I've never dated, but I've met some boys, currently I'm meeting another 20-year-old boy, I'm 15 years old. Well, I do not know if it will work, but at least we're getting to know each other. He is very nice to me, playful and very funny and handsome.
I would say that the worst moment of my life faced in my homosexuality was when I was beaten in the middle of the street by a totally unknown and drugged beggar. He gave me five punches in the mouth unexpectedly, I was with my friend who is also part of the community, and she pushed him and told us to run. I had no reaction at all, I was just shocked at the situation, no one came to help us and I was beaten very hard, my friend felt the force of his punches in front of my face, and I only managed to cover my face while he cursed me and kept hitting me. We still went into a small market on the corner to hide and call the police, but the owner of the market drove us out because she said she did not want to be in danger, but she did not even consider my condition at that moment, I just wanted crying with so much blood dripping, my clothes dirty and I just asking for help to leave the place as fast as possible.
When we arrived at the hospital, my father met us, he was shocked, he could not say anything, because his biggest fear was that I was beaten in the street, and it happened to him, his only son, one of the people who it more protects in life. And my mother, she is a nurse and she was the one who attended me at the hospital, when she saw my state, she despaired, she kept telling me to be calm, because I was under medical care, but both were very strong not to cry in my front, as well as my best friend who also did not cry.
We denounced the case, but the police did not do much, since we were not so sure about the face, only the clothes. And, our city is more dangerous than ever, because a Sao Paulo gang came to my city and are targeting LGBT people and women on the street, I was a victim of one of the members of this gang, who are beggars in the case.
Currently I still carry brands in my psychological, I do not walk alone on the street anymore and never went to the same place I was beaten, I still get a little scared and I think any homeless can beat me again, but I try to be strong, because we have to be strong, we have to win this fight. We are the world!
(I really want to cry right now, but I can't, I'm strong).
