We felt like this story was a good way to end Pride Month!
Since we opened our store almost a year ago, we have been overwhelmed by the positive response from the LGBTQIA+ community and support from allies and supportive family members. This week was a good example of the love we are shown daily and I wanted to take a minute to share it with each of you.
Last week, we set up a vendor booth at a pride event in Fort Worth, Texas. The event was a huge success and we sold out of many products. The day after the event, we received an order for an Aroace Pride Flag. Once we realized that particular flag had been one of the products that sold out, we immediately contacted the customer to let them know the situation and find out if they would prefer for us to cancel the order or if they would rather wait [about a week] for us to restock the flag. The customer appreciated the contact and was understanding of the situation. They even went on to congratulate us on the success of our store. The customer decided to wait for us to restock the flag and we placed the order on hold while we sourced more products.
Four to five days later, the flag arrived and we immediately contact the customer to let them know it would be shipping it out to them immediately. Up to this point, there was nothing different with this order than most of our other orders until the customer explained how happy their child was to hear that the flag had shipped.
The customer informed us that their child who is 12 years old had recently started to notice they were "different" from other kids and started to do their own research to understand their feelings and what was different about them. Through their own research, the child determined they were not gay, bi, trans, or any of more commonly known identities. Instead, this 12 year old figured out that they are Aroace. If you don't know what Aroace is, let me explain. Aroace individuals do not feel romantic or sexual attraction to others. Instead, Aroace's feel a type of attraction that is significant enough to warrant and determine relationships outside of gender expression.
While, we were impressed that a 12 year old was able to identify these characteristics within themself, we were equally impressed that their parent not only support them through their discovery, but also placed the order for them so they could begin living their authentic life. Parental acknowledgment and support is so very important to anyone coming out. We made sure to let the parent know how proud we were of them in supporting their child through this discovery, while supporting them by doing something as simple as purchasing a flag for them based on their identity. So many kids (and adults for that matter) do not have support from the people who "love" them most and this negatively impacts those in the LGBTQIA+ community.
The parent went on to explain that the child originally looked for "cheap" flags on Amazon, but the parent suggested to them that they look on Etsy instead because Etsy is full of LGBTQIA+ creators that support the community better than a large organization might. That decision brought them to our Etsy store and we are happy to be part of their journey.
As a reminder, Pegasus Pride has products that represent ALL identities! We add new merch to our site (including Etsy) weekly. So, if you are looking for something specific, let us know, join our email list, and/or check back with us often! In addition, as an LGBTQIA+ owned company, we give back to our community by giving a percentage of our profits to organizations that support the community. This year we are giving to the ACLU Drag Defense Fund. Last year, we gave to an organization that supported the survivors of the Club Q shooting. Next year, we will choose another deserving fund to contribute to. BUT, we also give back through political support of your rights, we march beside you when our community is under attack, and we use our platform to raise awareness and support for the community as a whole... we are stronger together!
So, in closing, I hope each of you know how much your support of your child, loved one, friend, or total stranger is to them. Had this 12 year old not had the unconditional support of their parent, they may grow up considering other ways to express themselves that are harmful to them or even others.
As always... Be Your True Self!