An LGBTQ activist’s tweets about reconciling with queer identity have struck a serious chord.
Alexander Leon works at the LGBTQ rights organization Kaleidoscope Trust, and his January 7 message about growing up queer has been shared over 50K times.
“Queer people don’t grow up as ourselves,” Leon writes. “We grow up playing a version of ourselves that sacrifices authenticity to minimise humiliation & prejudice. The massive task of our adult lives is to unpick which parts of ourselves are truly us & which parts we’ve created to protect us.”
Queer people don’t grow up as ourselves, we grow up playing a version of ourselves that sacrifices authenticity to minimise humiliation & prejudice. The massive task of our adult lives is to unpick which parts of ourselves are truly us & which parts we’ve created to protect us.
— Alexander Leon (@alexand_erleon) January 7, 2020
The post was also shared as a screenshot by many LGBTQ Instagrammers, who perhaps didn’t know that Leon continued his insightful reflection in two follow-up tweets:
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It’s massive and existential and difficult. But I’m convinced that being confronted with the need for profound self-discovery so explicitly (and often early in life!) is a gift in disguise. We come out the other end wiser & truer to ourselves. Some cis/het people never get there.
— Alexander Leon (@alexand_erleon) January 7, 2020
All of this is to say – be kind to yourself. Discovering who you really are is an enormous task it doesn’t happen overnight, nor does it happen without some hiccups along the way. Be patient, be compassionate, be vulnerable and exist loudly. And most of all – be proud! 🏳️🌈
— Alexander Leon (@alexand_erleon) January 7, 2020
After the message went viral, Leon, who lives in Australia, used the unexpected spotlight to bring attention to the country’s ongoing bushfire crisis:
This has blown up unexpectedly and I’m very humbled ❤️ If this meant something to you & you are able I’d really appreciate any donations to help families affected by the Australian bushfires. I am Australian and seeing my country burn is heartbreaking.https://t.co/AWeUgit7Jl
— Alexander Leon (@alexand_erleon) January 7, 2020
mr guy
[insert almost any individual growing up in a society of other different individuals] people don’t grow up as ourselves, we grow up playing a version of ourselves that sacrifices authenticity to minimise humiliation & prejudice [or negativity]