here's a wee piece i wrote in December about my experiences growing up a queer immigrant in Belfast ❤️
i want to thank @seanchoiche for giving me the opportunity to share my story and to the @queernortharchive team, @jack_farrar_ , @lucindalohan and @estherfollis for all the encouragement throughout the year and helping me realise the value in my own voice x
"There’s a light inside queer people that others either want to amplify or extinguish. And maybe that’s our superpower."
AVA 🤍 Craic
as a gay person, an immigrant, a filipino, a person from belfast, i've always felt like fifty people in one, unsure whether these identities could exist in harmony. i think i doom myself into the idea that i will always be 'other'; a defence mechanism saving me from what i see as inevitable societal rejection. in turn, there's an incongruence in how i see myself leading to a constant need to prove myself, as if doing so absolves me from all the shallow or negative preconceptions about being the 'type' of person i am. but ultimately would it be so terrible? the very things that make me whole and alive. the very same things that create such a visceral reaction in people to celebrate or shame you. i think there's such a strength in that.
thank you to jack, esther and lucinda for including me in this project; for uplifting queer voices and for allowing me to communicate how i navigate queer life in such a beautiful way ❤️🩹
we all bleed the same but these identities are what give us meaning.
📸 @jack_farrar_
📝 @estherfollis@avafestival x @craic_magazine x @district.magazine
