Pride: The Poster That Means More Than Any Other

 

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Pride: The Poster That Means More Than Any Other

Some posters are simply designs.

Others tell a story.

This one tells mine.

When I designed this Pride poster, I wasn't just creating artwork inspired by the rainbow flag. I was creating something deeply personal—a reflection of a journey that took me more than four decades to make.

Growing Up Different

I knew I was gay from a very young age.

I didn't have the language for it then, but I knew there was something about me that felt different.

I grew up in a very religious Mormon environment where being gay wasn't accepted. Like many LGBTQ people raised in similar circumstances, I learned early that this part of myself was something I should hide.

So I did.

For years.

For decades.

I prayed for it to go away. I tried to suppress it. I convinced myself that if I worked hard enough, believed hard enough, or was faithful enough, maybe I could change.

But no matter how deeply I buried it, the truth remained.

The Cost of Hiding

The longer I hid, the heavier the burden became.

Living authentically requires energy.

Living inauthentically requires even more.

Eventually, the effort of constantly hiding who I was began to affect how I saw myself and how I experienced life. The weight of carrying that secret became overwhelming. I found myself struggling with depression and realizing that I could no longer continue living divided between who I truly was and who I thought everyone expected me to be.

I reached a point where I had a simple realization:

Whatever happened after coming out couldn't be worse than spending the rest of my life hiding.

That thought changed everything.

Choosing Authenticity

Coming out at 44 years old wasn't easy.

There were fears.

Questions.

Uncertainty.

I worried about family relationships. I worried about friendships. I worried about how people would see me.

But something unexpected happened.

For the first time in my life, I felt free.

Not because everything suddenly became perfect, but because I was finally telling the truth.

I was finally allowing myself to exist exactly as I was.

And with that honesty came something I hadn't felt in a very long time:

Peace.

Why the Pride Flag Matters

For many people, the Pride flag is simply a colorful symbol.

For me, it has always meant much more.

Whenever I saw a Pride flag, I knew I was looking at a place where I might be safe.

A place where I could breathe.

A place where I didn't have to explain myself.

A place where I wasn't alone.

The world can be incredibly beautiful.

It can also be incredibly cruel.

That's why visible signs of support matter.

The Pride flag represents acceptance, safety, community, and hope. It reminds LGBTQ people that there are allies willing to stand beside them, protect them, and help create spaces where they can exist without fear.

I will never forget what that meant to me when I needed it most.

Finding Love

One of the greatest gifts that came from living authentically was finding the love of my life.

In 2025, I married my husband, Josh.

Sometimes I think about how much of my life I spent believing that kind of happiness might never be possible for me.

And yet here I am.

Married.

Loved.

Accepted.

Building a life with someone who makes ordinary days feel extraordinary.

There is something incredibly healing about being fully known and fully loved at the same time.

A Full-Circle Moment

This year, I marched in a Pride parade.

As I walked, I found myself reflecting on how far I had come.

There was a time when I was terrified that anyone might discover I was gay.

A time when I desperately tried to hide.

A time when I couldn't imagine ever being open about who I was.

And now here I was, marching publicly in a Pride parade.

Surrounded by community.

Surrounded by support.

Surrounded by people celebrating exactly who they are.

I had one of those rare moments where life allows you to step outside yourself and see your own journey clearly.

I realized that younger version of me—the scared kid, the scared teenager, the scared adult trying so hard to be someone else—would never have believed this future was possible.

And yet here it was.

Why I Created This Poster

The design itself is intentionally simple.

The word PRIDE fills the entire composition while a soft rainbow flows behind it.

I wanted the message to be unmistakable.

Bold.

Visible.

Confident.

Much like the journey many LGBTQ people eventually take.

The rainbow isn't hidden.

The message isn't hidden.

And neither am I.

For Anyone Still Hiding

If someone finds this poster while searching for Pride artwork, I hope they see more than a design.

I hope they see possibility.

If you're still in the closet.

If you're scared.

If you're wondering whether life can get better.

If you're worried about what people will think.

I understand those feelings.

I've lived them.

And while every person's journey is different, I can tell you this:

There is peace on the other side of authenticity.

There is love.

There is community.

There are people who will embrace you exactly as you are.

You deserve that.

What Pride Means to Me Today

Today, Pride means living honestly.

It means self-acceptance.

It means celebrating the people who fought before us and made our lives possible.

It means being visible so others know they aren't alone.

It means creating the kind of safe space I once needed myself.

Most of all, it means understanding that who I am was never something that needed to be fixed.

It was something that needed to be accepted.

This poster is a celebration of that truth.

And of the incredible journey that brought me here.

Happy Pride. 🌈