being a "palatable" queer person

being queer is one of the most beautiful things i have ever experienced, its brought me so much joy and acceptance, being queer has saved my life. but being queer(as we all know)is not without its challenges! there is so much infighting that ive seen crop up recently that i havent seen for a few years, and thought we had gotten past! its honestly disheartening.

ive seen an increase in people policing others' identities to try and replicate or conform to the existing gender and sexuality standard. our diversity is what makes our community so beautiful! and there are somehow people still hung up on encouraging trans people to "pass" or saying that you're not valid if you dont want to medically transition, or nonbinary people HAVE to be androgynous to be valid and its all so ridiculously sad to see!

let it be known; queer people do not owe anyone ANYTHING.

honestly i am tired of bending over backwards and suppressing parts of myself to be palatable or easily digestible for cishet people and now apparently people in my own community? i am a nonbinary lesbian. i do not owe you femininity. i do not owe you any explanation. i do not owe you androgyny. i do not owe you "pretty", i do not owe you "handsome". i owe MYSELF the feeling of being comfortable with who i am and being comfortable in my own skin. i am proud to be queer. i want you to be confused, because i do not owe it to you to make my existence make sense. i am not going to explain my personal relationship with my gender and sexuality to everyone i meet because it is mine, and it is none of ANYONE else's business. i want to be the most disgusting thing you have ever seen. i want you to be uncomfortable because i challenge the beliefs you hold that keep you from shining the way you were meant to. the beliefs you hold that no one told you that you could put down, that you carry with you from your youth full of being told who you should be and what is acceptable. i want to shine so bright that i am blinding. i want to be bright enough and visible enough to light the way for other queer people who feel like they arent allowed to be who they are, and to show the people who hate us that we are beautiful and we exist and we will not hide away.

i know these are big words for someone who just got here on 7cups lmao but they say go big or go home! and i think its important to be completely unapologetic, as terrifying as it is. and there are a lot of things that need to be said that we're all scared to say. we cannot move forward together as a community if we are so divided amongst ourselves. its time for radical and loving acceptance because you are beautiful and so is your existence, and you deserve to be seen <3