Hey guys!
It’s been a minute since we’ve updated you all here, but now is a better time than ever to remind you all that we are celebrating Pride month this June!

Pride Month began as a riot, the Stonewall Riots that occurred in New York on June 28, 1969. Members of the LGBTQIA+ community banded together to fight to have a voice, they were the catalyst to liberation for Queer rights. Since then, Pride has been a celebration of the uniqueness in everyone during pride month and beyond, and we are happy to support those who are comfortable in their own expression, inspiring others as they go.

This community is built on a network of individuals, willing to create and maintain a safe space for players to play and truly for anyone to be who they are or want to be. We’re proud to highlight some members of Vanilly, asking them what Pride means for them.

.ch33ryAshx, Player

"Pride feels like home sweet home. The community I’ve always wanted to find and feel safe, accepted and loved with. Each Pride Parade feels like a reunion, even if I’ve never met anyone there or if I’m in a different place celebrating. It’s a beautiful thing for all kinds of people to come together and be their authentic and vibrant selves. I’m happy to be a part of it!"

Evelynium, Player

"Pride to me is the hope for the future. It's hope that I can be myself without having to pretend to be someone else to fit in. Hope to be able to dress how I want and to express myself how I want, and hope to be accepted into society like any other person, despite my identity."

ToadMan29, Player

"To me pride is the time of year to remember and celebrate the progress made by the community as well as a time to celebrate and express your own comfortability and identity. Seeing the community rejoice in people’s individualism makes me proud of my own identity and proud of the community’s ability to uplift others."

NadiaNaum, Player

"To be proud of who I am, is to look around and see myself in the spot I always wanted to be, even though I didn’t always know that it was possible to be here. It is to look around and feel comfortable, to see that our place in this world is not about pain anymore. To be able to feel all the feelings that were repressed for so many years, to feel safe and try to make others feel safe too.
Pride is the feeling that I receive when I realize that I am and was never alone in my identity. That I have not been fighting all by myself.
It is the end of loneliness and the beginning of the joy of being who we really are, who we always have meant to be: ourselves."

PonyPon, Helper

"Support and found family. Seeing how many people will still openly display their pride no matter what makes me realize that no matter what could happen, I’ll always have someone to support me. That even if something happens, I’ll always have family. There’s always someone who will love you and lift you up. It reminds me that I’m never alone in any of this no matter how dark it may get. I always feel so much love and support from the LGBTQIA+ community."

Zlatanx, Helper

"Pride means freedom of expression, freedom to love and be who you are. It’s finding community and support, and not feeling alone. Also, pride is honoring our past as queer people and what we’ve done to fight for our rights and recognizing what still needs to be done. This is my first pride celebrating as a trans man, and I couldn't be happier celebrating who I am."

Envious_Sin, Community Manager

"To me, pride is a celebration for how far we’ve come and a reminder that there will always be a safe space to express myself. The sense of community that can be created and fostered to ensure that anyone can feel comfortable with who they are. I believe pride is to be accepting of yourself and others, because everyone is beautifully different in their own way."

Celebrate Pride with us both in game and on discord! Watch out for announcements of events like the timed art contest towards the end of the month, or hop in discord to participate in Kahoot! for a chance to receive a chat tag in game, and remember to check out the exclusive crate for the month at spawn!

Be Proud, Be Brave, and Be Safe.

       -Vanilly