As a part of our Pride celebration, we’ve asked some of our NZXT CLUB members to share their experiences as members of the LGBTQIA+ community. We were curious about what Pride means to them and how we can better support them.

Please join us for this opportunity to listen, learn, and participate.

Reimi - Community Member

Hello, My name is Reimi, and I am a transgirl from Massachusetts. I’ve been out to myself as trans since 2017, and out to friends for almost 2 years now.

I have always been pretty gender-nonconfirming ever since I was young. I used to paint my nails with my older sisters when I was around 8 or 9 and even went to school with them painted a few times. Which ultimately led to my teachers calling my parents. I have always been jealous in general of how girls dressed and wanted to dress like them. I didn’t really understand that not everyone who was AMAB (Assigned Male at Birth) didn’t dream about wanting to wear skirts or to be “girly.”

I first started learning about trans and queer topics in general around 2015, and had realized that I was queer myself. I had eventually started labeling myself as a transgender girl. Which slowly led to me coming out to friends and people that I trust. I wouldn’t say I fully understand my identity yet but I am very comfortable with how I currently identify myself and it has made me happier than I have ever been.

You could just donate to a charity to fund education on queer topics or suicide prevention for young queer people and adults. That would honestly be amazing and it would help a lot. But, in my opinion, the best way to support the queer community and for free is just by learning about the topics yourself and to do your own research. Trying to stop the spread of bigotry against the community by calling out blatantly false info, and speaking up to get your city, states or countries’ government representatives to vote against harmful bills.

If you would like to support your friends or family members of yours that are a part of the LGBTQIA+, just be there for them and protect them. Use their preferred pronouns if they identify with different ones than they had once used.

Pride to me is celebrating who I am. Pride events remind me that others like me exist, people who have gone through very similar struggles and experiences. It reminds me that our society does not have to adhere to social norms put in place by older generations, and that there are groups actively trying to change that for everybody.

ItsDaMuneeROW - Community Moderator

I came out as trans in late 2019 and it was a very long time coming. Looking back I was very envious of girls and was consuming a lot of “girly” media. Then with the help of some very dear friends of mine that I had met over the NZXT Discord, I did some research and searched about what I was feeling and finally came to terms with the fact that I identified as trans! It’s much more freeing and I feel a lot happier overall, and I plan to go further with my transition this year.

Pride means a lot to me not just because it’s a time for members of the LGBTQIA+ community to come together and celebrate their identities and sexualities in a safe, welcoming environment but it has also acted as an escape from less than tolerant family members. I’ve even met my loving girlfriend in a Discord server for trans girls and some of my closest friends are members of the LGBTQIA+ community themselves!

Since coming out, my life has improved immensely. I now feel much more confident in who I am and how I present myself. My friends have been more than supportive and helpful both online and in real life. I had always felt awkward when I wanted to purchase more feminine clothing and accessories for myself when I had presented as male, but now I’ve embraced my style and now everything looks and feels better!

I recognize the struggle of having someone around you that doesn’t understand how to support you after coming out, and it can be frustrating at times. But, the important thing is to be encouraging, as opposed to critical. I know it can be annoying when someone forgets to use your preferred pronouns or they may refer to you as your deadname.The best way in helping them learn is to start by explaining things from your perspective so they can empathize with you. Or even better yet, provide them with resources to help them understand better. Having them educate themselves is a great alternative if you are not comfortable with voicing your opinions or feelings, as I myself struggle with that a lot.

I hope everyone has as much fun celebrating pride as I will this year, and be sure to stay safe and hydrated!

DotNetCole - Community Member

I realized I was trans during January 2020 and it felt like I had finally found that last missing piece from my personal puzzle. I had experimented with pronouns and at last, I had struck gold. I could finally recognize what I had felt most comfortable with being known as. Living as Nicole has truly been amazing! I finally feel happy with my identity and have set many goals for my future.

Pride is important to me because it’s a celebration of being able to express yourself. Nobody enjoys being forced to be seen or act a certain way. People expressing themselves and enjoying who they are is something I have always loved to see. There is so much wholesomeness and creativity in the LGBTQIA+ community, and it’s really cool seeing the things people can create each day.

Even if you don’t personally identify as LGBTQIA+, you can still become an ally. A great way to support the LGBTQIA+ community is to educate others who don’t understand much about our community. Educating others on the importance of the LGBTQIA+ community is one of the most helpful things an ally could do to support. Another great way to assist the LGBTQIA+ is to donate to causes or charities. Trevor Project, being the largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for young members of the LGBTQIA+ community, is one of the best causes to donate to.

I wish everyone a happy and safe Pride Month!

Thanks for reading!

A special thanks to our amazing community members who were willing to share their stories.

If you would like to support our Pride campaign or donate to the Trevor Project, please check out our fundraiser at nzxt.co/trevorproject. They do incredible work in the LGBTQIA+ space.

Thank you everyone, and we hope you have a great Pride month!

💜