For this week’s Deep Dive Series, we had a very special Clapper Pride Panel with four amazing LGBTQ+ creators here on Clapper: @Dawn2.0, @Dani.LosAngeles, @Hunky_Spunky_Monkey and @LDSweetz.

At this special Deep Dive Series, we talked about what pride meant to our panelist and ways all of us can help the LGBTQ community. We also talked about how to raise the next generation to be more accepting of who they are. We are lucky to have such an amazing group of Pride creators teaching us that the biggest takeaway is just being proud of yourself.

Keep reading this special Pride Panel and deep dive into these creators’ amazing stories. Make sure to tune in every Thursday at 5pm CT on our @Clappertalks account, to listen to the bonus questions that will only be available on our live radio show: Clapper Talks.

Let’s get to know each other. Tell us a little bit about yourself and your content on Clapper.

@LDSweetz: I’m a 50-year-old lesbian woman and I have a lot of content about motivation.

@Dani.LosAngeles: I’m Dani Los Angeles. I actually was born and raised in LA. A lot of my contact actually started out as cosplay. I kind of just drifted into doing makeup and doing a little bit of drag. Now my content revolves around pride and the LGBTQ community. I am trying to represent the bisexual and pansexual community.

@Dawn2.0: I am Dawn, I’m from Canada and I have a beautiful daughter. I am married and I have a husband, but I am a proud bisexual. My daughter is also bisexual. I am also a member of the Clapper Pride Radio Panel. I am a social worker as my day job.

@hunky_spunky_monkey: My real name is rob. I am 45, and I’m from the UK. I found out that I am the second biggest UK Clapper creator. I’ve been doing reaction videos for 15 months. I’ve been to two Clapper Meetups and met about 50 people.

What have been the best parts of being in the LGBTQ community?

@LDSweetz: I would have to say, finding my community has been extremely freeing and loving. Having people come around and actually helping the younger generation maneuver coming out to their families, to their peers. I think is really awesome that I found a lot of allies on Clapper. That has been the most amazing thing. My major con would be the hate. I deal with that by showing love and kindness. Everybody is entitled to their opinion. I just choose to delete those comments and move forward.

@hunky_spunky_monkey: That’s the thing about this app. You got to take everything with a pinch of salt. If people hate on you, then just block them or report them. My videos, I get comments on them, and I flirt with women and I flirt with men, but the men actually do it back to me and I get hate on the comments. You need to ignore the hate because there will always be hate in the world. Block them, and move on.

@Dawn2.0: Also, I feel that if you engage with them you fuel the fire and they just keep going. Often times, if you don’t, they are not getting what they were looking for, which is your reaction. Sometimes doing nothing can be the best thing you do. The only thing we can control is our reaction about what happens around us, not what other people say.

@Dani.LosAngeles: For every one person that is hating on you and giving you negative feedback , there is at least 20 to 100 who are giving you positive feedback. So, I would say, just concentrate on those people.

What doe pride mean to you? 

@Dani.LosAngeles: This is my favorite question, a lot of people don’t know that in America pride is something that we earn, not something that it was given to us. A lot of people think that we just party and get drunk, but they don’t understand how hard it was for the LGBTQ community especially before the 60s before the Stonewall Riot happened. A lot of people haven’t educated themselves on what that event was and who was involved. It was about everyone coming together from different minorities really sticking out for each other. For me, still to this day, pride means everybody together can stand as a whole to protect individuals.

@Dawn2.0: Pride to me is pride in myself, my family, my daughter and my community. I take comfort in knowing that we get some recognition for all the trials and tribulations that everyone has gone through. I wish it wasn’t only in June. We are not a season. We are everyday, 365 days a year. I personally think that we should be able to keep the pride badge for more than the month of June.

@LDSweetz: If you don’t know, I actually grew up in Germany. First I came out there. Then, I came out here in the Us. What pride means to me is, being 50, I remember when it was dangerous to even look at a woman in a way that could be noticed. I love the way I get to actually show love to my partner and not fear like I am going to die today. I am so proud that our younger generation. I’m proud that at 50 years old I can live my life without feeling like I could die.

@hunky_spunky_monkey: Pride to me doesn’t just mean the rainbow flag. Pride is literally proud for everything. You can have whatever sexuality, as long as you are happy. Pride means being proud of yourself, that’s what it means to me.

What advice would you give a young person who’s scared or nervous to explore themselves in the LQBTQ community?

@Dawn2.0: I tell my daughter every single day to live for her. To not change herself for anybody else. Whatever she does as long as she’s doing it because it makes her happy, I will support it. I am backing her up 100% and that she should be very proud of who she is. Having one accepting adult in their live can lower the LGBTQ risk of attempting suicide by 40%, so be that adult.

@LDSweetz: Growing up, my children they brought their friends home and it was a very touchy subject for me. When we are talking about adults I would say: my generation doesn’t like labels, it was queer or gay. Nowadays there is so many labels that I try to tell the young people to not focus on the labels so much because the labels will change the more you get to know your own community and yourself a little bit more. It’s okay to change your label to anything title that you desire.

@Dani.LosAngeles: I actually really love how a lot of parents here are so accepting. My parents now are accepting of me but there was a long time where we didn’t have a great relationship. My mom was very religious, so I emancipated when I was 14. I was scared to come out and when I did, some of them said “its okay that you’re gay, as long as you don’t do girly stuff like makeup”. For a long time I felt like I couldn’t’ explore things that I wanter to do. So, my advice would be don’t be afraid to be pressured to anything that you are not. Follow who you want to be. Life is too short to care about what people want your to be.

@hunky_spunky_monkey: I would say what I tell to my two kids, as long as you are happy and safe always be you. Always be proud. Always standup to your own rights.

For our latest deep dive on the Father’s Day Panel, read here.