Introduction

Hello!

Before I start posting more, I wanted to introduce myself and explain why I am here.

My name is Emily. I am a 23 year old college student at the University of Akron. I identify as a cis-gender female (she/her pronouns), I am bisexual and demisexual, and I have depression and generalized anxiety disorder.

I have lived with depression and anxiety since I was a teenager. I realized I had at least one mental illness, depression, around the same time that I realized I am bisexual: age 13. While my personal mental health has never been primarily affected by my status as a part of the LGBTQ+ community, I know many people who have suffered severely in their journey to discover and be who they are. The majority of my friends are part of the LGBT community, and every single one of them suffers from mental illness. I have experienced discrimination and ignorance toward my own identities in the past, but I am lucky enough to have supportive parents, or at least one supportive parent and one indifferent one. Many of my friends don’t even have one supportive parent, if they even have a relationship with their parent(s) at all.

And that is why I am here. I have seen first hand how the LGBTQ+ community is affected by ignorance, discrimination, and even just lack of education in the general population. Because of this, because I am a part of the community myself, and simply because I feel it is important to stand up for those who are less supported and accepted, I have always been passionate about being active for this cause.

When I was a Junior in High School, I was the Vice-President of our school’s Gay-Straight Alliance. I became the President in my Senior year and used my platform to raise awareness by making a music video for Todrick Hall’s “It Gets Better” for a class project, holding an Allies Seminar at the school for teachers and students, and creating a video about Allies where I provided statistics and interviewed students and teachers about the importance of being an ally. I became the VP of the University of Akron Wayne College GSA during the second semester of my first year, then the President during both semesters of my second year. I have also been to Columbus Pride and Akron Pride, as well as a much smaller Equality Rally that used to be held yearly in my hometown.

I am hoping to use this blog to share my story, my friends’ stories (with permission), statistics, important information, and tips regarding how best to manage mental health through self care. I know that medication and counseling are both very important in the lives of many people, but I also know that for many people, myself included, these resources are not always readily accessible when most needed due to financial issues, insurance, lack of parental support, etc. Some people also just prefer not to use medication or go to counseling, and that is perfectly okay. Self care on its own can still do a lot to help one manage their mental health and improve their mood, because taking care of yourself both physically and emotionally has a great impact. If I can use this blog to help even one person, I will have been successful.

Remember: if anyone needs anything at all, even just to talk, please feel free to reach out to me through the ‘Contact’ tab! I will always do my best to be here.

Happy Pride, everyone!