Pride and Protest: Identity and Affirmation

poetryunheard

Dec 8, 20202 min read

Updated: Dec 13, 2020

By Louise Dalton

When I first sat down to write this blog, I had a naïve sense of confidence about it. Of course I can write about my identity, I thought, I know exactly who I am. And then it hit me just how complex the concept actually is.

When I thought about the word ‘identity’, it felt like this tangible, wearable badge. A list of ideas and morals that I wake up and pin to my chest each day, so that the whole world knows exactly who I am. But the reality, for me at least, is that my identity feels much more internal than that, and it’s something that’s ever changing.

Of course, there are absolutes and moral codes that will never change, there are traits and instincts deeply wound in to me, but the rest? It turns out none of it is as solid as I once thought.

For a moment, this threw me - the idea of fumbling through adulthood, trying to find a clear sense of myself. But then I began to find the joy in it. In the growth, the evolution, and in having the chance to learn a little more about who I am every day.

As I become braver, more confident and more comfortable with my sexuality and my self, I’m also finding more freedom to explore my place in the world. And what a privilege that is, to have been afforded that space. I’m so thankful to those who paved the way for me and so many others to be able to have that, and those who continue to push for our all of our community, especially those most vulnerable, to be truly equal, safe and celebrated.