Pride!

[xp_chameleon]

Happy Pride Month everyone! Be prepared for me to be even more insufferably queer than usual.

I have many many many extra rainbow, lesbian, trans, ace, and aro flags if anyone is in the market for one or several. Don't give money to Amazon, buy from the shop of Jessie! The only currency I require is a thank you :)

Recent accomplishments: I got six colors in my hair! I tried a trans flag pattern too, but I think I like the rainbow best. But really the fact that I managed more than two colors is the real news.

Comments

[xp_clea]

I'll take some! Do you have a cat collar in Rainbow? If she lets me, I want to put one on Cata.

[xp_chameleon]

Unfortunately I lack cat collars having never owned one myself :( But the flags are small enough that you could probably put one on her as a cape?

[xp_clea]

That would look so cute and would work wonderfully.

[xp_madin]

And yet, you haven't mentioned mutant pride once.

Oh yeah, that's right. Cis gays and queers and white lady "I'm bisexual but this is my husband" types don't fucking want us there unless we're willing to play nice and fucking pass first or kowtow to their bullshit.

No pride - not even trans pride - unless it's mutant pride first.

[xp_madin]

Also, what? I cannot believe that you support pride month. It's corporate pink washing. Most of the companies involved don't have diversity policies and mutant hire policy or lgbtiqa inclusion ones and actively discriminate against us.

New York City is actively anti queer and anti mutant and continues to employ police who brutalize our community and continually fails queer and trans young people, has unaffordable housing and baked in racism in its policies and city government and there's no pride in a city that only really accommodates rich white queers and not poc or poor people.

I genuinely can't believe that you're willing to celebrate corporate pride month knowing how probbo it is.

[xp_clea]

Hi. It's me, Clea. We met before, and it didn't go well.

Question for you: do you blatantly hate anything that you disagree with? Are you so unaccepting and narrow-minded? The words that you just wrote lean toward racism. I don't know how else to put it. "No pride unless it is mutant pride first."

It is Pride, where people are welcomed, no matter where they are from or who they are. You don't have to buy into corporate pride; Jessie even said, 'Don't buy from Amazon.'Shaming someone because the support Pride Month because it isn't mutant first is not okay.

My biggest concern is, are you okay? Do you need someone to talk to? It might not be me, but maybe someone else. On the other side, you are very passionate about Mutants, and you would be a great advocate for us. But this isn't the way to go.

[xp_madin]

Sure does sound like something a human passing rich bitch would say. When was the last time you were put in jail for being a mutant? Or homeless? Or told to leave a shop because they feel unsafe with you being there? When was the last time you were denied access to medical, or bashed because you want to be in a school in person but no one there is willing to protect you?

That's why there's no point in Pride unless it's mutant pride first.

But I'm racist for wanting equal access and equal treatment, am I?

[xp_clea]

It sounds like you are the type of person who also likes to assume someone is one way because of their appearance. You can call me names all you want, but you know very little about me. Yes, I am not a visible mutant, but I've also seen the darkest nature of what humans will do. That is why I joined my team.

I assume all of these things happened to you. I am sorry, humans are cruel. But attacking a fellow mutant because they want to give out free Pride things isn't the best way to go about with those issues. You are racist for the way you worded it.

[xp_madin]

Oh, so you've seen things? Well, so have I.

I don't appreciate you calling me racist for simply calling in someone and pointing out that so-called "pride" is also racist and anti mutant.

I'm good with words like you lot. I didn't get to go to school but you know what I really don't like? It's people like you who have the world on a plate who come from all kinds of money and education and everything else saying that what I think doesn't matter because I don't use the right words or the right tone of voice when I say it.

[xp_clea]

There is a lot of anger there. I can see that. I can also see that you are passionate about what you believe in, and that is something I admire in a person. How is assuming things about me any different than people assuming things about you?

[xp_madin]

What does that even mean?

[xp_clea]

Okay, let's try it a different way.

You are angry because Pride isn't exclusive. Is that right?

My question is, why attack someone so aggressively? The way you wrote it made it seem like anyone who does Pride is anti-mutant or supports people who are anti-mutant. Instead of being a chance to educate, you made it volatile.

[xp_madin]

I mean when you support something that is anti mutant, aren't you kind of anti mutant?

[xp_clea]

I support Pride because I am demisexual (Never said that out loud, let alone on a form). I support Pride for all my friends and family who are Bi, Gay, Lesbian, and everyone in between. I support Pride for those reasons.

[xp_madin]

So you don't mind that they might only accept half of you?

[xp_clea]

I do mind. It was also something I didn't think about before and it is something I will now going forward. When I think of Pride, I think of achievements made for members of the LGBTQIA+ community. It isn't perfect. I will echo what Q said (and so many after), it is what you make it to be. Yes, obvious changes need to be made so that it continues to improve and grow, which is why I said you would make a great advocate. We can't change everyone, but we can be loud about it. But there are ways to go about being loud. Your reasons for being angry are valid, but let's not be angry at the wrong people. These people here, at the mansion, we are supposed to support each other and have each other's backs.

I apologize for calling you racists.

[xp_madin]

Why should I have to educate? Why should I have to be the better more polite person? Why can't I leave that to them? If they give a shit, they'll look into it. I'm not wasting my time and energy being polite enough to matter to you people

[xp_shatterstar]

confused. how is that racism ?

[xp_madin]

She's calling me a racist because I don't want to celebrate pride because it's not inclusive of mutants or brown people and black people but I didn't use the right words so now she gets to call me racist against humans.

[xp_shatterstar]

thot u couldn't be racist against oppressor?

[xp_madin]

No, you can't

[xp_lusized]

it gets really complicated when you have oppressors at odds with each other but mostly yeah you can't.

like, can a white gay person be oppressed by a poc straight person, yeah, but they also still have whiteness, and it's even more complicated when you're only SORTA white or white passing but basically yeah you can't be

it's like a big crossword puzzle of oppression

[xp_clea]

They approached it aggressively, not because they didn't want to celebrate pride (that is their own right to do), but because someone else does. And other people at the mansion also celebrate it. Not once were mutants mentioned in the original posts, yet they brought it up. They made it into an issue when it really didn't have to be.

[xp_clea]

Also, NYC Pride bans the police. Just a little knowledge sharing.

[xp_madin]

Sure, they can't march in uniform but are they allowed to be there out of uniform?

Have they banned security companies? And banned police from being present during the rest of the time?

[xp_chameleon]

Hi, you don't know me, I'm Jessie, it's super cool to meet you.

I'm not sure at what point you got "corporate pride" and "fuck mutants" out of my post, but let me correct a few things.

First, I don't support corporate pride. All of my queer merch is handmade, a lot of it by friends! I can give you a few names if you're in the market for stuff, some of them are also mutants and do mutant pride things. If you're worried about mutants and mutant pride, then you should definitely check out their stores and support them. I'll send you some links.

Pride isn't for corporations. It's for *us*. Like the get fucked repeatedly guy said, it's what you make of it. He apparently chooses to get laid. I choose to use it as a time to remind myself of how hard I worked to get where I am, and figure out where I can go from here. And to decorate everything in rainbows and flags because I love color.

Second, I'll admit I've never considered if mutant pride should be part of pride month. Iirc, the first Pride was in 1969, before mutants really hit the general consciousness (which I believe was in the eighties? But correct me if I'm wrong, please!), and the celebration never really evolved. Personally I think mutant pride should have its own month, because it has its own history that deserves to be remembered, but I would have no idea how to go about establishing something like that. Oooooooh, maybe March or May? Because then you have the fun alliterate thing. March Mutant Pride, May Mutant Pride, it'd be a great way to spread the word. I have no idea how to go about something like that, but if it's something you'd want to start, I'd be happy to help!

Or, considering the what aboutism, I'm guessing you're someone who's not actually interested in changing things, but just want to complain about it. Which is your call. But you don't have to inflict your bad mood on everyone else, this isn't Facebook.

Also? I guess it's possible you missed this since I'm not very open about it, but I am *not* cis, and I'd appreciate if you didn't erase a very important part of my identity. Thanks!

[xp_madin]

Look, you make some good points but are you really okay with supporting something that explicitly excludes mutants at huge numbers of events?

Pride is what you make of it, sure, but what I'm getting from it is that they don't want me. Not everything I am, just like the way the DX community centre is never going to be a fully mutant safe space because they won't ban humans.

And I know who you are - you were kidnapped along with the rest of us the other week, remember?

[xp_chameleon]

I support the idea of Pride, yes. There isn't some governing Rainbow Overlord that dictates who is and isn't allowed, there's just people. And if I run into people who support queer Pride but are anti-mutant then no, they don't get my money. But there are people out there who are good, who are queer mutants themselves or mutants who support queers or queers who support mutants, and if I find them, I'm going to support them, because that's the only way I can really make any change in the world.

And yeah, I remember the kidnapping, ngl I spent a few minutes really focused on your hair. I probably would have ended up with the same color if we hadn't been kidnapped.

[xp_madin]

Look, I just find it hard to separate the two when I know I'm not welcome half the time because I'm not educated and because I'm purple and the worst part is, I never know when that's going to be an issue so every time I go somewhere, I have to wait for people to be terrible. I don't want to be on edge every time I go to pride things waiting for someone to start shit and knowing that when they do, if I fight back, I'm the problem.

I don't know if you get it but nowhere is actually safe. Not even Xavier's, because if I'm too vocal about how things are here I'll get kicked out again and then where am I going? I don't have a family. Technically I'm an illegal immigrant and ex terrorist and they could put me back on the most wanted list if they wanted to so even here isn't actually safe for me because getting to stay here is still conditional.

(You really like my hair? Thank you.)

[xp_chameleon]

I get that - I mean, not in the "that is my experience so I understand" way, but like - it's how you feel. I'm not saying you're wrong, and I'm sorry if it came off that way.

And yeah, I know nowhere is safe. These place just feels weird because like - they give you things, for free? The guy with the cool arm gave me a new laptop and didn't want anything for it and that is WEIRD to me? Like eventually they're going to pull up a bill of what I owe them or something or something, right? I don't get not feeling safe in the way you don't feel safe, but I feel it in other ways, in other places, and I know it sucks.

(Yeah! It's exactly the right shade of purple and it's gorgeous)

[xp_madin]

Yeah. It's really hard. It's hard to trust this.

I mean, I joined a mutant separist community in Portland and it was so good. Mutants looking after mutants and everyone was queer and Radha used to talk about how mutual aid was going to save everything.

Only it was too good to be true and secretly they were also a murder cult and she was planning to kill the entire world and they murdered heaps of people.

I can't make up for that but not everything that seems too good is. I think the mansion is legit but I don't know where to go from here or when they'll get sick of my bullshit.

[xp_lusized]

Nowhere is ever going to be safe, or perfect. Not ever, not now, not 100 years from now, history tells us that. We get incremental improvement and we never rest.

I think you're right, Pride is a mess, but Q's right, we make our own Pride and maybe we do need an entire month for ourselves as mutants too. but we don't let them take this one from us because it's a mess. we try to make it better. Pride isn't just the parade, its our month. anyone who tries to take that belongs head first ass out in a trash dumpster.

[xp_bevatron]

Sadly, there is no 'after the glorious revolution', there is only the boring day to day work of caring for each other and trying to push the world a tiny amount in the correct direction.

(one of a number of reasons I no longer travel with the Brotherhood)

[xp_lusized]

my zayde says after the revolution we get brisket, and then the next day we mow the lawn

[xp_cypher]

I can't fix everything for everyone (I wish I could), but I think it's important to do what I can. And giving back to help provide a space where people can be at least mostly safe (nothing's perfect) is just me trying to pay forward what was given to me when I was sixteen and scared.

(let's just not talk about how long ago that was, oof)

[xp_erverse]

lmao pride is what you make of it. Got get fucked repeatedly and enjoy! (I mean that literally, it's not a euphemism.)

[xp_madin]

Hahaha

[xp_cypher]

We can always rely on you to remind us of the true meaning of Christmas Pride, Q.

[xp_aero]

Yer hair looks super cute! If ya have a spare rainbow flag I’d love one :)

[xp_chameleon]

I have SO many spare rainbow flags, please have one. Have several!

[xp_aero]

I’ll swoop by sometime then <3 thank you!

[xp_liono]

I WANNA DO PRIDE

your hair is awesome!!

[xp_daredevil]

I can get you a bag of pan pins, if you'd like?

[xp_lusized]

I LOVE IT YOU GOT THE HAIR DOWN with the tone gradient I like this on you so much

I go away for ONE THING and I come back and your hair is AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i would ask for more flags but the thing i went to do was go get a new shirt because that boutique finally had live laugh lesbian in my size

[xp_chameleon]

I might not get rid of this hair. It's so cute.

They DID?! That's amazing, you deserve that so much

[xp_lusized]

they still don't have 'I won't apologize for good tits and right answers' but they said it's coming

[xp_bright]

Hi. Um. I’d love to show support? I’m not part of Pride myself but it’d be cool to put up flags and stuff. My Aunts back home always had rainbow flags up. Seeing them around kinda makes me feel a bit safer. Is that weird? That’s probably weird. Just reminds me of the farm, is all.