CELEBRATING PRIDE MONTH WITH HORIZON UNION

It’s June which means it’s Pride Month and we’re here to celebrate our LGBTQ+ creators and talk about what it’s like to be a queer creator right now. As Horizon have a continued pursuit of creating an inclusive and safe space for creators, we opened the space for our creators to share their experiences.

In celebration of Pride Month, we gathered some of our creators together to answer some questions and give us an insight into their lives. In this case, we have Azuki, SweetSage, Tempest, Woodrow, and Dylan.

Ok, let’s dive into the questions!

What was your coming out journey like?

Azuki: Long story short, I had a crush on a boy that I later found out was a girl as a 10 year old. I questioned my sexuality a lot after and at 14 I met a girl in school who was also questioning herself. I realized then that I indeed was queer, and I didn’t really want to tell my parents at the time. They found out through my love for Sailor Neptune & Sailor Uranus, two iconic lesbians in the anime known as Sailor Moon.

Sage: I don’t have a strong relationship with my family, so I never had a “hey I wanna tell you something” moment. 

I tweeted out one day that I was bisexual and it was super well received by so many of my found family online. My IRLfriends (literally just 4 people) who saw it, never treated me differently.

However, last year when I tweeted my updated pronouns I lost around 30-40 followers in a couple of hours. It was kinda hurtful, since I am literally the same person I have always been, but I also had so many people reach out and be a strong foundation for me. I am very open about my sexuality and gender because of the many people who reached out to me that day and onward since then.

Tempest: When I was 12, I had this friend named Carmen. One day, Carmen and I were walking home together, when I told her I thought I might be a lesbian. She looked at me thoughtfully for a moment, and then said “I don’t think you’re a lesbian”. Then I spent about a decade dating mostly boys and a few girls, trying to figure out why my relationships with boys never felt right. Realized around 22-ish that Carmen was wrong, then I made a twitlonger about it.

Woodrow: I’ve been Pansexual for as long as I can remember. Even when I didnt know the term for what I was. It never was a case of the person’s gender or identity. For me, It’s always been about their personality and how they are as a person.

Dylan: My coming out journey was honestly… really difficult! To keep it real, I was heavily bullied in school growing up in middle and high school. People would call me gay or feminine because I was an “emotional guy”. Even had friends who wanted to predict “when I was coming out of closet” behind my back. All of those things made me incredibly in-denial for years! I only came out about 2-3 years ago and I have been the happiest since! Now I am loud and proud about my queerness because it is who makes me… ME!

What are your favourite queer games/ game characters?

Azuki: Well, admittidly I was always a huge fan of Pharah from Overwatch since it first launched. I connected with her a lot and just this year they revealed she is a lesbian! So I am OVER the moon. But, I do feel that there is a lack of lesbian or bisexual women in videogames. Often, overlooked.

Sage: One of my new favorite games is Mail Time which is a super cute cottage core adventure game. You play as a mail carrier who is delivering mail to all of the forest creatures. They all have different pronouns and lovers and it is the cutest game ever. 

I also love Apex Legends and main Loba for ranked. She is the Queen of Apex, aside from Catalyst, and being in the middle of a weird love triangle always gives the best voice lines.

Tempest: Ciri from The Witcher 3, hands down. The Witcher book series explores Ciri’s sexuality with thoughtful complexity; she’s shown to be interested in women but her interest in men is left up to reader interpretation. The Witcher 3 makes an explicit nod to this in Ciri’s gameplay section by letting the player choose how Ciri responds to romantic interest from a man. One of the options is for Ciri to say she only likes women, but she can also respond with interest or politely decline. Back when The Witcher 3 came out, that was some of the most explicit representation I’d ever seen in a AAA title, and it was such a casual moment. I love Ciri, she’s great.

Woodrow: Metal Gear Solid has always been very open when it comes to gender and sexuality. I remember growing up and enjoying the fact that the ‘tough guys’ dressed and spoke much differently than others in that genre. It was nice to get those different representations.

Dylan: My favorite queer game was a story game called Tell Me Why! It’s a game about a twin brother and sister who discover things about their past about their mother. The main character is trans and the story does acknowledge their transition and who they are now! Beautiful and tear jerking game! 

Queer representation in media has come a long way in the last few years, how do you think this progress can continue to evolve?

Azuki: It can continue to evolve by continuing to naturally place characters in movies, comic books, games, etc. It is a normal part of life and unfortunately, there’s a large portion of the population who still do not see this. So, it’s better to subtly introduce queer characters in different brands. Although, some may argue that it’s better to throw it all in immediately. 

Sage: Having more queer people working behind the scenes for sure. Funding the projects that queer people have, and always voicing your love for characters who are great examples of queerness, or frustration with characters who aren’t realistic in a harmful way.

Queer characters weren’t really ever on my TV growing up, but I knew I had a crush on straight characters that were women. It was super conflicting knowing I had these feelings, but never understanding why or if I was a bad person for thinking Shego was attractive. I don’t want anyone else to have to go through those feelings.

Tempest: Representation has gotten much more casual in recent years and I want that trend to continue. For a long time, if a character was LGBTQ+, that had to be a Plot Point, and it had to be a Struggle, and while those stories can be interesting, I’d much rather see fleshed-out characters in a variety of situations where their identity is explicitly shown but doesn’t have major implications for the plot. A great example of this is the character Tonkee in The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin. The book makes it explicitly clear that Tonkee is trans and explores her identity a bit as backstory, and then it moves on and lets Tonkee participate in the plot just like anyone else. 

Woodrow: Talking to people and understanding that characters of all backgrounds and walks of life deserve to be represented.

Dylan: The progression to queer media can 100% evolve more! It’s definitely showing more representation. I can’t speak for ALL of the queer community; however, I believe that we want enough real and genuine representation so we aren’t treated like outcasts or alienated from society. Eventually if enough representation is around people will start to incorporate it as “new normal” and this is a time period where it crosses an older generation and a new generation that had big jumps in technology and society so change is difficult! Give it time and it will be a new normal! 

How about representation in gaming – how do you think the wider community can help to shape it even further? 

Azuki: We would like to see queer protagonists! 

Sage: I am soooo happy you asked this question. We need more queer games. I love a good story based adventure game and there are rarely any that are centered around a queer person. When researching for a “LGBTQ Repersentation” video for youtube, about 90% of games I found were all visual novels that centered on sexual encounters. Games like Celeste, that feature transgender characters, without hyperfocusing on the sexual part of their queerness are so important. I want more games that celebrate us without revolving the whole plot of the game about choosing someone to love. Also I want them to make more queer games without having one character being an animal, pretty pretty please. 

To help with this, make it known! Highlight games that are doing this, and encourage queer game devs to continue telling stories. It’s important that queer games have queer game devs, and we can help by funding them, talking about their games on socials, liking, subscribing and wishlisting their games.

Tempest: I need gamers to stop using the word “gay” as an insult, then maybe I’ll ask them to help shape representation. 

Woodrow: I think making sure people are educated and understand that its okay for people to be different, to think different, and to love different than they do. That needs to spread further than just gaming. We all could be more mindful of others.

Dylan: I don’t feel like the gaming community is where it should be with representation but it is getting better! I feel like having more queer in-game characters, raising up queer content creators that stream a lot of a game, and overall just uplifting queer voices when you can!

What are your favourite parts about being a content creator?

Azuki: Being able to express my creativity and share it with others. I also love to inspire those who are going through a hard time and need a little motivation to keep going! 

Sage: I love being able to meet so many different people and build connections! Gaming and Mental Health are two major topics I tackle most often, and being able to house a space where others are appreciated and feel seen is so rewarding. I also LOVE getting to meet game developers. I look up so many of the teams who have made my favorite games. Getting to know a lot of them has been such a highlight of my life and makes a lot of what I do worth it.

Tempest: Content creation has introduced me to people I would otherwise never have crossed paths with. I love the sense of connectedness it gives me.

Woodrow: My favourite thing about being a content creator is getting to meet people from all around the globe. Its insane to me that we can just choose to connect with someone who lives an entirely different life than our own and you can build a connection and learn from each other. 

Dylan: My favorite thing about being a content creator is to be able to create and inspire others be themselves! We all grow up trying to discover ourselves and I like to remind people they have a place in this world

What inspired you to become a content creator?

Azuki: Many things, but one was quality time with friends online. 

Sage: I was inspired to be a Twitch streamer because of an ASMR streamer I randomly found in 2017 or so. My partner at the time was showing me Twitch and how most people play Fortnite or racing games. When I found the ASMR stream and saw how relaxing and welcoming the community was, I realized then I wanted to host the same type of environment, only with relaxing story-based games such as The First Tree or Oxen Free. 

Content creation came along with the Twitch journey. I found that my “best” form of content was live. My personality is the greatest asset I have, and sometimes it’s hard to translate that into short form. BUT after a couple years I think I have found a balance between live streams and storytelling through videos, blogs and photographs.

Tempest: I’m a very talkative person, and one day while playing Guild Wars 2 with a friend I was sort of talking out loud and narrating our gameplay. He asked me if I had ever considered being a streamer and I was like “idk what that is”. He introduced me to Twitch and I decided to give it a try!

Woodrow: Comedians that I grew up watching and listening to. They helped me through really hard times and made life easier. If I can do the same for others and make people laugh, then I consider that a success.

Dylan: Content creation initially became a hobby and then fell into something I wanted to pursue more! I have been streaming for about 6 years total but 3 where I edited videos, had a stream schedule and took it a bit more seriously.

What’s your favourite thing about your community?

Azuki: * Insert Fast & Furious meme * Simple… it’s Family.

Sage: They make me LAUGH. Like holding my tummy and crying, type of laughing. They can turn anything into a joke without being crude or disrespectful. And in that, they are also the kindest people I have ever met. There isn’t a day I stream where I am not smiling and laughing at how silly and lovely they all are. An absolutely hilarious group of people.

Tempest: I love that I can be energized and silly one day and laid-back the next, and my community will still be engaged and funny and kind. They’re flexible in a way that a lot of audiences might not be, and I never feel like I have to force a certain energy in order to stream.

Woodrow: I love how my community kind of self governs themselves. What I mean by that is; when someone comes in being very negative or hateful towards another person. They are quick to step in and take action. Sometimes before the mods can even take action! I love that they look out for other community members and the well being of the community we’ve been able to build as a whole.

Dylan: My favorite thing about my community is there are genuinely all so loving about one another! I have never seen a community who cares more than just about the streamer! They are welcoming, positive, and uplifting! 

Support The LGBTQ+ Community

Remember, supporting LGBTQ+ people is not just an exercise for Pride month. If you want to support queer people, they need your help throughout the year. Consider donating to one of the following charities, or if you’re not able spread love not hate and show up for your queer friends and favourite queer creators.

Recommended LGBTQ+ charities:

• Stonewall – stonewall.org.uk
• MindOut – mindout.org.uk
• The Proud Trust – theproudtrust.org
• Galop – galop.org.uk
• Black Trans Alliance – blacktransalliance.org
• Metro – metrocharity.org
• Mermaids UK – mermaidsuk.org.uk