Supposed to go to first pride event but chickening out

Will you feel worse afterwards if you do go or don't go?
That's my self-question when I'm depressed or scared to do something. The answer is usually to go, even if I keep my head down whilst there...because you can't make any memories sitting at home.

 

Pride festivals are a lot of fun! It's great being around so many like-minded people. There isn't really anything to be scared or nervous about. Everyone just walks around, checks stuff out, and does their own thing.

 

Pride events helped me come out. Especially since you have have gay people acknowledge you as gay and not even think about it, it helps.

 

Hi,

Not wanting to sound negative but personally I found the first Pride parade I went to to be so overwhelmingly foreign to anything I had ever experienced that after a couple hours there I was having an anxiety attack so badly I almost couldn't speak or function. It was like being dropped into a foreign country with no language, no coping skills, nothing to relate it to....it seriously weirded me out, and my girlfriend being so matter of fact about it made her seem like a stranger to me as well. Not telling you not to go, but yeah....if you're not out, and not sure, and haven't done anything like that before, it can be overwhelming.

 

I think it must depend somewhat on the way the event is run - here we had a parade (which I didn't see) and then there was a day of stuff in the park - pretty much like any other event but quieter. I can imagine the larger ones might be a bit more intimidating.

Indeed, by the end of my first (and only one so far!) I certainly felt a lot happier and more comfortable in myself, and have actually felt like I'm "normal". There is something about being around a load of people - other guys, girls, mums, dads, kids - where two dudes holding hands and cuddling is the norm that's reassuring. In my case I had increased the number of people I already knew and had come out to from one to two, and also was just open to another dozen or so of their friends (I didn't come out as such, more it was just assumed I was and I "went along" with it).

See also my first point - I certainly thought of bailing more than a few times in the couple of days prior to the event - I only decided I was going after I'd called the guy I was meeting to see if they wanted any beer or water picking up from Tesco - about ten minutes from his house after already walking for about ninety, but I'm so glad I did go. I dare say if it had been Manchester or London I would have been overwhelmed, but the quiet family atmosphere here was great.

 

I bailed out of my first pride event too
I missed the first because I was in holiday and I promised myself right your going next year! But when next year came I thought firstly j was on holiday with my nan but then it turned out it was he sat after j cans back I told my friends I was on holiday with my nan so they ended up not going and I still wasn't out so I was also constantly panicking that my mum or dad would see a pic of me or find out there was a pride on and ask me about it so I chickened out and decided not to go

 

I just thought I'd share my first experience of Pride then:

I went to Pride in Birmingham WITH my parents! They were OK but not over the moon about me coming out to them, but they loved the opportunity to go to Pride with someone, and have a look around genuinely, instead of feeling like they were going to look at 'the freak show'! I loved it, and so did they, it was so open, and it made them a lot more open about asking me things and learning more about LGBT!

I hope you have a positive experience when you do eventually decide to go to a Pride! x