I’m LGBTQ, but You Don’t Know THIS About Me

Summary

The website content is a call for submissions to "Prism & Pen" for LGBTQ individuals and allies to share personal stories that challenge stereotypes and offer insights into the diverse experiences within the queer community.

Abstract

The "I’m LGBTQ, but You Don’t Know THIS About Me" initiative by Prism & Pen invites LGBTQ individuals to submit essays, poems, and stories that reveal the multifaceted nature of their lives beyond common stereotypes. The prompt encourages reflection on how stereotypes can both confine and liberate, and seeks to highlight the complexity and individuality of people within the LGBTQ community. It also welcomes contributions from cis/straight allies who have learned unexpected lessons about queer people. The submissions are intended to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of the LGBTQ experience in all its diversity.

Opinions

The author acknowledges embodying some gay stereotypes but also subverts expectations with skills in fishing, electrical work, and operating industrial equipment.
There is a recognition that LGBTQ individuals are often pigeonholed into stereotypes, which can be limiting and not reflective of their true selves.
The article emphasizes the importance of sharing personal stories to shatter stereotypes and reveal the true depth and variety of LGBTQ lives.
The prompt is an invitation for LGBTQ individuals to express their unique identities and for allies to share their learning experiences.
The call for submissions encourages a range of emotional tones, from frivolous to serious, and a variety of content types, including creative essays, poems, short fiction, memoir, art reviews, or history.
The website features a list of stories already submitted, showcasing the breadth of responses to the prompt and the diversity within the LGBTQ community.

Can I just say I totally rock some gay stereotypes?

I have lots of women friends and enough fruit in my boot to run a fruit cocktail factory. I haven’t seen the inside of a church in decades. And, sweety? I stir up a mean Cosmo as I binge Absolutely Fabulous. (What what what? Never heard of AbFab? Ooh lah, girlfriend! Get thee to a streaming service!)

But I bet you don’t know THIS about me: I’m an expert largemouth bass fisherman, a good jackleg electrician, and skilled at operating industrial equipment like Bobcats and forklifts. And some of my closest friends are faithful church goers.

What about you? Frivolous or serious?

My examples are mostly silly, but we queer people simultaneously embody and shatter stereotypes all the time, often in deadly serious ways. Often, we are complex, three-dimensional people who get shoehorned (even by genuinely kind people, even by each other) into boxes that aren’t healthy for us or for the upcoming generation of queer youth.

What are YOUR stories? As an LGBTQ person, what do people NOT know about you that might surprise them? What stereotypes do you fulfill? Which ones do you shatter? How is your life different from mainstream narrative?

If you’re a cis/straight family member or ally, what have you learned about queer people you honestly didn’t expect?

I’m LGBTQ, but You Don’t Know THIS About Me

That’s our Prism & Pen prompt for the coming two weeks. Whether you’re transgender, bisexual, pan, lesbian, gay, asexual or otherwise, how do stereotypes free you or confine you? What do you think people would be most surprised to learn about you?

Or turn it inside out: how have you been caught out by surprise? Misserved by things “everybody knows” about queer folks? Silly, serious, thoughtful, or frivolous — it’s time to tell some stories!

I’m LGBTQ, but You Don’t Know THIS About Me

A Prism & Pen writing prompt

Can I just say I totally rock some gay stereotypes?

What about you? Frivolous or serious?

I’m LGBTQ, but You Don’t Know THIS About Me

Ready to play?

If you’ve not yet written for P&P, here are our submissions guidelines and procedures:

Submission Guidelines

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Stories so far →

Curious Treasures in a Kinky Closet

Cosmopolitan longings and a rural redneck upbringing produce tension

Running in High Heels and Other Skills of Trans Manhood

A response to the Prism & Pen writing prompt: “I’m LGBTQ, but You Don’t Know THIS About Me”

I’m Queer, but I Don’t Fit the Stereotypes

I’m a mess of contradictions. I’m human.

Her: I read your poem online. What’re you gay now?

There’s a simple short answer. Yes, and always.

After 15 Years of LGBTQ Living, I Forget I am Queer Sometimes

Queer is my most interesting trait for some, forgettable for me.

I’m A Lesbian Who Can Sew Cushions To Go With Your Couch

I’m LGBTQ but you don’t know this about me