The LGBT+ community is made of many different identities, all of which are as valid and important as the others, and every single one deserves to fly their flag with pride.

For Pride 2019, PinkNews has teamed with Uber to tell stories that show how important visibility is to a diverse rainbow of sexual and gender identities.

This is Nina’s story…

What was it like growing up for you?

I had a good upbringing and have a very supportive family. I wasn’t always very open with my sexuality growing up. I only came out a couple of years ago to my parents, which was difficult. I’m half Jamaican, half Ghanaian, so it’s not the easiest thing to talk about or even to accept.

So it was quite a tough journey for me but I believe now I’m at a much more comfortable stage.

I can openly speak with my parents, but yeah it was definitely a tough one.

Over the last two years I’ve become a lot more accepting of me as a person and what I stand for.

It took me til my later 20s to feel more comfortable.

Why is Black Pride so important?

Black Pride doesn’t just represent black people, it’s for people of colour in general, any minority groups. It began because there needed to be a voice for the voiceless.

Those that were part of the minority groups coming together and supporting each other and having a space where urban, reggae, any type of sound relating to the black community could be expressed and there are so many other things that have gone into it, it’s more than the day and festival, there are seminars and workshops and conversations that happen throughout the year to support those within those minority groups.

Which Pride flag do you identify with?

I identify with a few of the Pride flags, one being bisexual and the other Black Pride.

I’m not the biggest fan of labels or flags, people should just be able to be who they want to be and exist and not have to think about.

I think it brings its own segregation in itself but those I would say are the two flags that I represent.

I think it’s very important that there are different flags to represent the different people within the queer community, just so there’s understand and no blurred lines, especially from an outsiders point of view.

It’s important to understand who someone is and how to address someone and know how to conduct yourself because I think there’s a lot of fear from the unknown.

Read all the personal stories from the Many Voices of Pride campaign here.

• Dec 01 2023

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