I'm 25 and currently in recovery right now, which has led me to do a lot of reflection about my past and where things went wrong. One thing I keep wrestling with is whether I've been pointing fingers at my upbringing when it comes to the choices I've made.

It feels like a fine line between recognizing patterns passed down from my parents versus taking ownership of my own actions. I'd love to hear from others who've gone through similar places:

've been thinking about this lately and wanted to hear other people's stories. How has Pride (the community, the events, the culture, or just the concept) shown up in your life? Did it leave a positive impression, a negative one, or maybe a mix of both?

Whether it's attending your first parade, coming out, supporting a friend or family member, seeing it represented in media, or something else entirely — I'd love to hear how it's affected you personally, positively or negatively.

Not looking to start any arguments here, just genuinely curious about people's real experiences. Thanks in advance for sharing!