Relationships
17 People Reveal The Moment They Knew They Were Queer & Their Stories Are Amazing

by Candice Jalili
Stocksy/Juan Moyano

For those of you who missed the memo, it's officially June, which means it's PRIDE MONTH, BABY! Pride Month is a time where the LGBTQ+ community can come together to celebrate who they truly are without fear of any sort of judgment. Regardless of whether you're a member of the community or you're straight and cisgender and looking to learn more about LGBTQ+ people's experiences, you should check out Artroan's tweets about the moment people knew they were queer.

The very first day of this Pride Month, Artroan tweeted:

In honor of pride month quote tweet this with a short story about the moment you realized you were queer!

People from all over the world came forward to post their amazing stories about the moments they realized they were queer. Some even included the moments they decided to come out to their friends and family. Read along as people share their inspiring, beautiful and sometimes hilarious stories about realizing their sexual identities. Maybe you'll relate, maybe you'll learn something about someone different from yourself. Either way, the best part is that you're going to come out of reading these with a far warmer heart than you did to start out with.

OK, without further adieu, here we go.

Pop culture confirmed things for him time and time again.
She outed herself to her best friend's mom.
Her drama teacher showed her the 1968 version of Romeo and Juliet and the experience was enlightening.
A kiss in the woods from her best friend provided her with everything she needed to know.
Fooling around with a gay friend was all it took to seal the deal.
The shirtless cowboy in American Ninja Warrior turned him on.
Two years ago, the term jumped out at her when she was in college.
She eventually realized that she thinks all guys look like potatoes to her.
She had the totally anticlimactic epiphany when she was browsing through a dating site.
She repressed it until she was 27 and finally came clean.
At seven years old, she was already looking at swimsuit magazines with the boys in her class.
She originally said she was bi to impress someone but realized it was actually true.
He felt something special when he was wrestling a boy in fifth grade.
She never truly loved her boyfriend as much as she loved her friend.
One music video made everything clear as day.
One night, he realized the feelings he was experiencing weren't just a "phase."
In high school, she realized she had a crush on multiple women.

I told you these stories were all amazing.

And now that I've got you in the spirit of Pride Month, let's do a quick little history lesson. You see, Pride Month is more than just some Twitter threads and fun parades you and your friends go get drunk at.

The Library of Congress website writes the month is actually meant to honor the 1969 Stonewall riots that took place in Manhattan:

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month (LGBT Pride Month) is currently celebrated each year in the month of June to honor the 1969 Stonewall riots in Manhattan. The Stonewall riots were a tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the United States.

In fact, the website notes that Pride Month first started out as Gay Pride Day:

In the United States the last Sunday in June was initially celebrated as “Gay Pride Day,” but the actual day was flexible. In major cities across the nation the “day” soon grew to encompass a month-long series of events.

Eventually, The Library of Congress explains how it evolved into what we know as Pride Month now:

Today, celebrations include pride parades, picnics, parties, workshops, symposia and concerts, and LGBT Pride Month events attract millions of participants around the world. Memorials are held during this month for those members of the community who have been lost to hate crimes or HIV/AIDS. The purpose of the commemorative month is to recognize the impact that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals have had on history locally, nationally, and internationally.

HAPPY PRIDE MONTH, EVERYBODY. If you have a story of when you realized you were queer, feel free to share it on Artroan's thread. Even if you don't have a story, feel free to scroll through their thread and read all of the awesome stories.

And don't stop there! As you can see by the excerpt right above, there are plenty of activities that comprise Pride Month. Get involved and show your sport for the community.

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