Happy Pride 2025!!!

[Captain24]

Currently sitting on the lounge in an oversized men’s tracksuit @Dreamy @MissinTooth.

I kinda get what you are saying. I’ve pretty much always dressed ‘tomboyish’  In my younger years if I was going out the pub or anything I’d wear short skirts but now I don’t own any skirts or any dresses. I’m definitely not feminine. 

Im just me. 

[Dreamy]

@Captain24 i own a couple of dresses but I don't wear them, I don't feel me in them and it kind of just upsets to see myself in them. I love the baggy clothes, the freedom of movement and just being comfy in what I'm wearing, cos im sure as hell not comfy in my own skin. 

[rav3n]

i've added it in for ya now 😊 @Dreamy also, sorry to hear about you were treated. absolutely not on. autonomy over how we dress is so important, i feel like my comfort and identity is in the way i present myself and having someone else take control over that can completely change how we feel and think of ourselves. i'm glad you've got that control back now, and i hope one day you'll feel comfy again.

[Dreamy]

Thanks @rav3n. Its not something I've really talked about to anyone as I feel really ashamed of the whole situation. I remember it so clearly, the people staring and the remarks that were made, it really haunts me. Noone should have that control over what you wear or how you look other than yourself so when it's taken away from you it really does affect how you feel and think about yourself. Maybe one day I'll feel comfy again but i think there's alot of work to be done in order for that to even begin to happen. 

[Captain24]

I get it. I’m not comfy in my own skin either. @Dreamy. I’m not sure I’m comfy with who I even am. 

[Dreamy]

I feel that @Captain24, I really do. 

[MissinTooth]

@Captain24 me either. I can totally relate. 

[Appleblossom]

I really like the discussion about pansexual, asexual and gender identity being fluid.

I relate to not being comfortable in my own skin a lot @Captain24 @Dreamy @Jynx @rav3n @Jynx definitely was an old tomboy, but also went to girls school…

I also have stressed through my life, about being appropriately clothed. In last couple years I have been picked on both ways by high status types. That is, one told me off for looking like I just got out of bed. The other told me off for being too dressed up. Not a skerrick of makeup and mostly opshop stuff. Clothing makes a Lot of difference regarding belonging. With both those people I stood up for myself, as more polite social withdrawal was not an option. Both those people are a little more respectful. One was sorry, the other was too used to being bossy, to realise how abusive her manner was. The important thing is that I remained socially engaged and didn’t let others bad behaviours cause me to isolate again.

not sure if trigger warning here 

1. Content/trigger warning

   Cos orphanage showering arrangements not ideal when I was there… I am pretty sensitive to layers of vulnerability and exposure…….plus the CSA… experiences…… due to institutional abuse.

[Jynx]

---

@MissinTooth wrote:

. Others have kinda tried to shape me so that I'm more "feminine" and less "masculine" but my brain doesn't get it and I get angry and frustrated and feel kinda...judged.

@MissinTooth woof... BIG mood. I used to get told off all the time as a kid for 'not being lady-like', whatever the heck that means. I always felt like I was getting crammed into a box, but it was a box that never felt right for me. 

I think sometimes for me, being gender nonconforming means that it is explicitly rejecting the socially constructed ideas of gender and leaning into the felt sense of what is masculine and feminine energy in my life. It's... not always clear lol 

@Dreamy @Captain24 oversized mens hoodies gang UNITE hehehe plus @Appleblossom 

and also that feeling of not being comfy in your own skin, omg yes #relate. 

When I was a bit younger I used to get this very distinct experience of surprise whenever I caught sight of my reflection. Like who is that? Not me. 

Dysphoria comes in all forms. 

But so does euphoria! (Maybe another topic for discussion eh?)

Thank you again everyone for sharing 😍

🌈💖💛💚💙💜🏳️‍🌈

[ale_inmelb]

@Jynx

I struggled enormously with my identity as a secondary school student. Back then, I felt lost—torn between who I was and who I thought I needed to be to feel accepted. There were moments I hid myself just to fit in, and it was exhausting. But now, standing where I am today, I finally feel like I can unapologetically exist—without shame, without fear.

One thing I’ve realised along this journey is this:

“Never change for others. Change for yourself.”

To me, that means growth should come from a place of love, not pressure. When we change just to please others, we lose pieces of ourselves trying to meet standards that were never meant for us. But when we choose to change for ourselves—to heal, to grow, to become more aligned with who we truly are—it becomes empowering. That’s not about erasing who we were; it’s about embracing who we’re becoming.

And that’s what Pride means to me—existing, evolving, and loving yourself through every step of the way.