Being Queer Filled My Life With Joy! Do You Have LGBTQ Change Stories?

A Prism & Pen writers prompt

When I was about 30 years old, I reconnected with a family friend who watched me grow up. Having a drink together at a NYC bar, she said to me with a weird expression on her face, “What happened to you?”

“I don’t understand,” I replied, stirring my cosmo, wondering if she was criticizing my gay “lifestyle.”

“I mean, look at you! It’s so great to see you laughing and smiling.”

“Um, thanks? But is that so strange?”

“It is for you! You were the saddest kid I ever knew. Sometimes I wondered if you even knew how to smile. I worried about you a lot.”

Then my boyfriend walked up, kissed my cheek, and pulled up a chair. I raised an eyebrow and chuckled.

“Ah, love,” she nodded. “I should have known!”

I didn’t tell her she was kind of wrong. I didn’t tell her I finally started laughing and smiling a few years before I fell in love with Lenny. She was right that I was miserable as a tween and teen, but I didn’t know how to explain that I didn’t learn to be happy until I rejected the values (her values!) I was raised with. I didn’t learn how to smile until I embraced my true queer self.

Plus, I felt guilty. There we sat in Ground Zero of the AIDS epidemic, no treatment in sight, but she was right. I was happy for the first time in my life.

That’s a story about queer change over time. Let’s make that our Prism & Pen writing theme for the next two weeks.

My story is about how my own inner acceptance changed me so much that a long-time family friend spotted joy in me she’d thought never to see. But not all queer personal narratives are positive like that.

What are YOUR stories? How have you changed over time as a queer person? Have you noticed (or not noticed) change happening more broadly in society? Whether you are bisexual, transgender, asexual, lesbian, gay, or any other sort of gender/sexual minority, this prompt is for you!

If you’re a cis/straight person like my old family friend, the prompt is for you too. How would she write up that story about the three of us having cocktails in Chelsea? It would be cool to find out!

Being Queer Filled My Life With Joy! Do You Have LGBTQ Change Stories?

That’s our P&P prompt for the next two weeks. My own little story isn’t meant to limit you or suggest what you should write about. Positive, negative, or in between, let’s write about change.

Remember, you don’t have to submit stories to P&P based on our prompts. You can submit stories about anything in the LGBTQ universe, whenever you like. But if a prompt helps get your creative juices flowing, then yay!

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You tell your stories, we’ll help you share them.

Please send in your essays, poems, short fiction, memoir, or history. Don’t forget film, TV, and art reviews.

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Prompt Stories so far —

Esther Spurrill-Jones, BFoundAPen, Kathy Lee Tolleth, Brian Pelletier, Fred Shirley, Ikedi Oghenetega, neil chapman, David Wade Chambers, Artemis Shishir, alto, Sean Stephane Martin, Gabriela Penelope Carolus, Lois Shearing, b.henriques, Carl Rebeiro 🏳️‍🌈, Rodney Frazier, Simon, Carl Rebeiro, Brian Fehler, Deneishia Jacobpito, Chris Hedges, Kathy Lee Tolleth, Brian Pelletier, Alex David Bevan, Ikedi Oghenetega, David Wade Chambers, Sean Stephane Martin, Gabriela Penelope Carolus, Lois Shearing, Valentine Wiggin, b.henriques, Carl Rebeiro, Rodney Frazier, Simon Z. Brian Fehler, Cassie Brighter, Deneishia Jacobpito, James Patrick Nelson, Brigid Maloney, Gabriela, Presley Thomas, Evan McCoy, Loren Olson, Ken Wilson, Chandler Myer, NaNa’sworld, Arabelle J., Liam Heitmann-Ryce, Prickly Pam, Dawn McGrath, Jonathan | sex & theology, Tabitha Lowndes, Emma Nwosisi, Melissa Speed, Dr. Thomas J. West, Till Kaeslin, Dave Smurthwaite, Ellie Rebecca, Zoey Milford, Edris Quinn C., Dennett, Michael Constable, Jim Martens, Stephen Foster, Kravitz M. Kristen Nadel, William Kuhn, Denisa Bogdan, MSci, Rafaela Mempin, Tre L. Loadholt, theoaknotes, Rachel Brindell, Elle Fredine, Jess Darnell, Emma Holiday, Gabe Evaristo, Joshua Mackey, Steve Alexander, Stevie Wilkinson, Andy Killoran, Nick Bundarin, ElMehdi El Azhary, Bradley Wester, Stella Luna (they/she?), Chuy G. Gonzalez, MS, Aaron W. Marrs, Tima Loku, Cam, The Transgender Therapist, Sean Bennett, Ty Bo Yule, Alessia Autumn, Allen R. Marquez, Spencer James, Mary-Ellen Maynard, Gaby Spadaro, Elena Joy Thurston, Mina Krane, Jason Masters, Jeff Harvey, Laurence Best, Don Stouder, J. S. Richards, Fiona Feng, Yvonne Borgquist, Sarah McManus MSc, Annabelle Rose, Laura Silverstein, LCSW, Kyla Sawyer, Ellen Caminiti, rowen maeve, Rafaela Mempin, Punch Drunk Cola, Jeff Poole, Mrs. Capricious, Justine L, Patsy Fergusson, John Westphalen, Curtis Harding, Phoenix Huber, Val Servino, Jadon-Maurice Forbes, Molly Martin, Henry Lee Butler, Grey Alexander Crawford, Les Campbell, Casira Copes, Niki Madore, Shachee Swadia, Chevanne Scordinsky, Reis Asher, Jahleel Wasser, Jaimie Brickey, Doody Richards, Patrick Paul, James Fox Jeffries, Alexander Petrovnia, Elaine D Walsh, ƒ Michael Wells, Jack Herlocker, Lindsay Soberano-Wilson, Don Orr Martin, Jackson Banks, Martin Friend, Coby Bronze, Cate Talley, Damian Delune, Emilly Olivares, Sree Jaya, Sogen Ohata, David Arias, Kayla Vokolek, G. L. Balend, Anthony Eichy Eichberger, Shanker Mahadev, Jenna McRae, Jay Rose Ana, Kevin M. Casin, Linda Caroll, Unzip It, Judy McCord, Eric Beach, Dr Jeff Livingston, Topher Bigelow, Christopher Kelly, Joseph Coco, Jordan Michael Becker, syys, Mike Rosebush, PhD, Eilís O’Keeffe, Meghan McKie, Rand Bishop, Ryan Doskocil, Jacob Green, JULIAN GRACIANO NUNEZ, Marcus Davensky, Rebecca Herz, Alexander Tan, X.S., Ken Scout, Kitty Whitemore, Ellison O., Ed Guzzo, KP_the_writer, Judah Leblang, Arthur Keith, Jess Whitehall, Takoda Leighton-Patterson, S. Armstrong, Elena, Dunollie, Rita Malone, Nicole Stewart, Amanda Laughtland, Stephanie Moga, Tyler Albertario, Na.tasha Tr.oop, Suzanna Alastair, Lorelei Weldon, Victoria Stagg Elliott, Staten Blogging, Jaimie Hileman, Roo Benjamin, I. J., Helianthos, Brynn Tannehill, Lari, Amelia Harlow, Mary DeVries, Alyssa Ferguson, Anna, Casey Lawrence, Meagon Nolasco, spoorti, Antoni(a) Ceballos, A. T. Steel, Logan Silkwood, E. Katherine Kottaras, Eugene Pierson, David Moreton, Joanna Miles, Fay Wylde, Mila Bea, Elliott Jacob, Gerald Sturgill, Kim Barrett. Jenny Starr✨, Alex Mell-Taylor, Jonny Masters, Collin McGuinness, Ryan J. Mills, Kyle Palmer, Teresa Wymore, Dan Thomas, Lisa B-L, Lex Laursmith, Skye Mo’ipulelehua Kahoali’i, Mona S Gable, Josie Quinn, Aris Jace, David Milley, Kitty Williams, Josep Ferrer, June Thomas, Steve K, Jennifer Roth-Burnette, Amae, Danni Michaeli, Kai Stowers, Sieran Lane, Michelle Marie Warner, John A. Giurin, Michael Horvich, aleXander hirka, Tyger Songbird, Michelle Paquette, Karyn Marie, Grayson Bell, Laura Albrecht, Simon May, Antonia Ceballos,