Poor Lil Guy He's Too Nervous To Be This Cute At A Party

poor lil guy he's too nervous to be this cute at a party

charlie xcx wouldve loved minecraft

Tripwire

the memory of Vincent

if you need to turn on the stabilizer for any reason (shaky hand, doing fine lineart, just for fun) im begging to god and everything please DO IT.

there's no glory in stressing over multiple control z's, stabilizer doesn't diminish ""artistic value"", drawing with your whole arm isn't objectively better.

do what fits you best 🫶

I mean this question in good faith and I’m not saying any side is wrong, but while I understand the freedom and cultural importance and such of kink at pride, it does worry me thinking about kids attending and seeing certain things. If there’s just leather in part of your outfit I don’t care, but if it’s something more explicit? I don’t know. Everyone who supports kink at pride are people I generally agree with so I think this is something I should believe, but I just can’t help being worried. My question is how is it okay? Like idk why don’t we confine it to adult-only pride spaces? I don’t want kids to be unable to attend the main pride (like the parade) but if you’re exposed to sex too early it messes with mental stuff. I just want an argument from a supporter of it. Thank you in advance and I hope this ask doesn’t upset you!

hello anon! no worries, you haven’t upset me; i’m always happy to share my opinions, and appreciate that you’re questioning things which make you uncomfortable and looking for other perspectives <3

a few years ago, i wrote about kink at pride in this post, which i hope you’ll read first. the tl;dr is: 1) kink at pride doesn’t equal exposure of genitals & public sex, 2) “pride” is more than the pride parade, and 3) kink is not predatory.

if you’ll allow me, i’d like to present a few more ideas on this subject:

1) sex is not dangerous. when i say i’m sex positive, i mean that while sex can be dangerous, it is not uniquely more dangerous than any other risky adult activity. for example, children shouldn’t drink alcohol while their brains are developing, children shouldn’t drive vehicles or handle firearms before they develop impulse control and good judgement, and children shouldn’t rock-climb without learning proper safety protocol. sex is the same; kids shouldn’t have sex until they’re mature enough to understand the logistical and emotional consequences of any given sex act. assuming that they have access to proper sexual education* and safe adults to approach with questions, being ‘exposed’ to sex** is not damaging or harmful to children. however, this almost doesn’t matter to the issue of kink at pride because:

2) public kink does not involve sex. as i’ve said before: public kink displays do not involve public sex. what they do include is: collars, harnesses, fetish masks, bodysuits, all with garments which cover the genitals. you might also see rope, floggers, paddles, handcuffs, and gags. but even at adult-oriented kink events, there is no public sex. if you’re imagining an event where sex is happening, that’s most likely a private orgy with explicit consent from the participants, and will absolutely not be happening at pride events.

3) public kink is easy to explain to children. given that public kink amounts to people in silly outfits and props, kink displays are okay because an adult guardian can explain kink to their child in the same way they would explain alcohol, driving vehicles, or firearms. kink (just like alcohol, driving, and firearms) is something for adults to enjoy, which kids can learn about and explore later, once they’re old enough to engage safely. an adult guardian might say, for example, “those people are playing a game for adults. if you’re confused or uncomfortable, we can look away together until they pass by. if you’re still curious in a few years, we can talk about it then.” this also teaches children how to disengage with things they might find upsetting—a skill which is applicable in all facets of life.

4) the solution is always diversification, not restriction. a thriving queer community has a series of pride events during june. the pride parade shouldn’t be thought of as “main pride”. even as an adult, i don’t always attend the parade. in the past, my pride month has meant i go to drag shows, pride parties in the city square, and queer sporting events. some people are still uncomfortable around any form of kink, and that’s okay! everyone has different comfort levels. so even though i don’t believe public kink displays are harmful to children, i will always advocate for a wider diversity of pride events which are explicitly child-friendly. making safe spaces should always be about creating communities instead of restricting people and things from pre-existing spaces. and because the parade has always included kink, it’s my hill to die on that it should stay that way. even if you’re over-cautious and want to avoid the parade with your children while they’re young, you can always make it something to look forward to when they’re older.

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i hope this makes sense to you. while i appreciate you trusting me to advocate for this position, i would hate for you to decide to be in favour of kink at pride just because your friends say you should be. for me, part of being queer is actively interrogating my own beliefs and the structures that surround me. and as always, all i’ve written here is based on my personal experiences of pride, and kink events in various canadian cities.

happiest pride month to you, anon! 🌈

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* proper sexual education = age appropriate resources about their bodies, reproductive systems, and how reproduction happens. later, information on safe-sex practices (ex. condoms, birth control, lubrication, hygiene), sexual orientation, and the importance of consent.

** exposed to sex = knowing what sex is, learning how sex happens, and/or accidentally seeing sex happening (for example, walking in on adults having sex, catching a sex scene on TV, etc.).