Five of the Best: Pride Month 2018

Get your Pride on!

Our favourite LGBTQties have been talking about their difficulties and achievements since the very beginning of YouTube. For many, the site has been a safe space, where self-expression is valued and respected. However, recent changes to YouTube’s advertising policy has meant we’ve had to talk about the relationship between it and the LGBTQ+ community – Is YouTube Doing Enough to Support LGBTQ+ Creators? But it’s not all doom and gloom, especially not this past June, and our faves have been killing it with amazing videos.

To join in the celebrations and recap Pride month, we wanted to share some of our favourite and most recent LGBTQ+ videos. We have sexuality chats, trans issues, Pride vlogs and more. So join us on Rainbow Road with Five of the Best: Pride Month 2018!

What does Pride mean to me? #PrideMatters | ACE PRIDE GRWM | Embly

Let’s start with the delightful Emi Salida, who was asked by Pride London to talk about what Pride means to her. She does this in her usual chatty style during a GRWM showing us her Pride look. Emi identifies as asexual and is a strong voice in the community. She recently started the #IAmFearlace hashtag on Twitter to celebrate ace pride, which is full of amazing representation.

In her video, she talks about how excluded some people in the ace community feel, and she talks about the need for asexual representation. Emi also talks about her experience at last year’s Pride and how she felt there was “not enough purple”. She concludes the video by saying, “Pride is about celebrating yourself,” and reminding us that we didn’t always have the rights we do now.

This year, Emi marched with the Asexual Visibility and Education Network (AVEN) at London Pride.

LONDON PRIDE 2018 VLOG | Shannon Nath

Alright, let’s take it to the event itself. Shannon Nath takes us to London Pride with her bright, fun vlog. From the amazing performances and ridiculously expensive chips (£3 for a tiny portion!), to her lovely friends, Shannon really captures the loud and proud essence of Pride. She talks about seeing a girl cry “because she has never felt so accepted in her life” and that totally hits a nerve with us. Watch out for the puppy near the end of the vlog to lift your spirits!

Shannon really made us remember everything we love about Pride: it’s empowering, it’s emotional and it’s just plain fun!

Disney Pride In London 2018 | Gary C

Form Shannon’s vlog to Gary C‘s, who offers a pretty different perspective to Pride, as he accompanies the Disney float with Peter Kingston. Gary’s vlog made us sing along and even get up and attempt some choreography. (Okay, okay, we didn’t get up, but we strongly considered it!) He waved at the crowd with his giant Mickey Mouse hands and brought that special Disney magic to the event. Seeing the sheer size of the crowd totally made us emotional again… We can’t help it!

Gary has been such a strong pillar of the YouTube LGBTQ+ community all these years – coming up on 10! – and his easy-going openness has made us all feel right at home on his channel. Thanks for everything, Gary!

Is Pride A Protest Or A Party? | Rowan Ellis

Just when we thought we couldn’t love Rowan Ellis more, she strikes with another super poignant video. For some people, Pride is a party, For others, it’s a protest. Rowan works to explain that this is a false dichotomy and talks through the different meanings Pride has had for different people and at different times. She also talks about the place corporations have in Pride and why they started getting involved.

Rowan’s conclusion is that, while it may be necessary for corporations to be involved in these events, it would be ideal if the branding was not as prominent. Instead, the corporation floats should help to elevate minority groups, therefore truly supporting the real meaning of Pride. Honestly, Rowan, we don’t know what we would do without you to put things so succinctly!

CANCELLED MY TOP SURGERY?! | Jake Edwards

To close off this article, we wanted to take it back to the everyday of LGBTQ+ life. In this video, Jake Edwards talks about having to reschedule his top surgery due to inconvenient timings. He talks about how difficult this decision was, but he reiterates a big life philosophy he has been living by recently: “I will not let my transition define me.” Jake talks about how he’s tried to find the positive side to this by reminding himself that now that he has declined the date, someone else can get the operation sooner.

Wanting to be part of the community and participate in this very special month is a key part of LGBTQ+ life and we totally get Jake’s reasoning. Pride is important to all of the community, for all the reasons we have talked about in this article. Jake, enjoy Pride!

So there you have it…

Our Five of the Best: Pride Month 2018! We hope to have made you smile and tear up in equal measure in this coming together of fantastic videos. Do you have any Pride videos you liked? Any vlogs you’ve loved? Be sure to send us as a tweet to @TenEightyUK and let us know, so we can get watching!

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