PRIDEđ by Chasing Happy
What is Your Pride Story?
For pride month, we are celebrating by interviewing members of the LGBTQIA+ and queer community! This is a community that has faced sexual oppression and has been discriminated against for their sexual and gender identities throughout history. We must illuminate the beauty, resilience, and strength of the LGBTQIA+ community and each unique individual. Here are some of their storiesâŚ
Please contact chasinghappy.co@gmail.com if you would like to share your pride story!
Kaeden Harveland
Pronouns: he/him
My name is Kaeden Harveland and Iâm 22 from Seattle, WA. I am currently living in Los Angeles, CA where I work as an entrepreneur and fashion designer. I started on Youtube where I was able to build an audience of over 110k, and since then Iâve founded my own designer fashion brand called Kalaqtic by Kaeden. In 2020, I established a non-profit called The Klapbaq Kampaqn which fights to save lives and for human rights and justice for the LGBTQ+ community.
The Klapbaq Kampagn: created to raise support for LGBTQIA+ history, sex trafficking, the Thirst Project, When We All Vote, (RED), & the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
Also pictured are accessories from Kaedenâs designer fashion brand Kalaqtic.
Interview with Kaeden Harveland
Do you think that your experiences in sexuality have had any sort of effect on your mental health?
âI think if anything, it really asserted my confidence and my confidence in being different. I feel like everything that Iâve done since Iâve started, like even before Youtube, I was very different. My Youtube content was different, my fashion line now is different, the way I dress is different, the way that I maneuver my life and even design my home- everything is really different. I feel like my sexuality was the first thing that was like âoh, youâre different than the normative.â It really fueled this flame inside of me of realizing âoh, you are differentâ. I never had a feeling that there was something wrong with being different, so I feel like I just went full force and full throttle in just being different and Iâve only gotten good things out of it- the difference that Iâve exuded my whole life. So, I just love being different.â
What has been the biggest struggle in your pride journey?
âI think opportunities within the careers that Iâve endeavored have been harder and not as open, but I also think thatâs because not only my sexuality but also being Asian too. Thereâs not a lot of Asian representation here in America, and I feel like casting agents, brands, sponsorships and just opportunities in general cater to more of a White heteronormative versus a gay Asian. I feel like that has been my biggest struggle of finding opportunities within fashion; every fashion designer out there came from wealth and theyâre White. In my Youtube career, they would always take pretty females or pretty White men, or âmodelâ guys with blonde hair and blue eyes and I feel like that has been the biggest struggle- which is kind of odd.â
What would you say to your younger self before you were comfortable with your sexuality?
âI would tell my younger self not to care what people thought. I feel like my younger self cared a lot about what other people thought. Like even in school, I was always caring about the people and the students and what they thought. I was even insecure about coming to school with a new haircut, just because I knew that people would notice or say âoh you got a new haircutâ and I hated that attention but now I wish I didnât care. I wish I had the confidence that I do now, where I could strut into anywhere and just be like âIâm the baddest b*tch in this roomâ but back then, I was so insecure and so lost and I always doubted myself and where I would go. When I started being successful on Youtube it really confirmed everything like why are you worrying? You have so many people that support you and you are worrying. So now, I just think donât worry, you are going to be just fine.â
What is one piece of advice that you would give someone who is afraid to come out about their sexuality?
âI got this question so often on Youtube, people would ask âhow did you come out?â but, I didnât have to come out. I never came out to my parents, it was just a known thing that Kaeden was gay. Everyoneâs situation is different, you know, like if youâre in a household where you have to hide being gay just in order to live and have a roof over your head- thatâs a lot different than someone that I would say is just coming out of the closet with a group of homophobic friends. I think something I can say that would fit both of those scenarios now is, go out and find a support system that you really feel comfortable with- even if that means moving somewhere, getting a full-time job, and figuring it out.
Being by yourself, I think is way better than having someone else pay your bills and having to hide yourself. Move, work it up, suck it up, work f*cking 45-60 hours a week so you can have your freedom and have your own place and ultimately be yourself, and then whatever your dreams are and whatever you want to happen in life will come later, but I feel like being comfortable is the #1 priority. Sometimes this bites me in the a** because being uncomfortable is where you learn, but I have been comfortable for such a large portion of my life that I will never ever put myself in an uncomfortable situation or surround myself with people that make me feel uncomfortable.
When I moved to LA, I lived in my car for three weeks. I told myself âthis is never going to happen againâ, but I knew I had to do it to build the character that I have now. Now, I feel like I have the confidence of an eighty-year-old that has been on this earth since the dinosaurs and now I donât take sh*t from no one. I am so affirmative in what I want and who I want to be that I donât think I would be that person unless I took the step of going to where I know I can make things happen. Whether that meant living in my car or living off 7/11 pizza, to sacrifice being comfortable. I didnât have the experience of having homophobic parents or being in a spot where I felt unsafe, I just felt that there was something bigger and better out there for me.
If I felt that way and I did all of that because I felt there was something better out there for me, then if youâre in a situation that is much worse than what I came from or youâre being beaten or you have homophobic parents, it should make you work 10x harder to get to the spot where I am now. I was at the bottom and I lived in my car, if I can do it then yâall can. Go get a job or live with a friend, or meet people because then when youâre in an area you naturally meet people. Whether itâs coworkers, someone you meet at a bar, or restaurant, you will always meet new people and you should be open to meeting new people. Then, you will find people who truly love and support you and thatâs where you will grow."
What is your favorite thing about the LGBTQIA+ community?
âI love the openness of everything that the LGBTQIA+ family has. I feel like the LGBTQIA+ community has been through so much and has been discriminated against for so long; much like Asians, African Americans, people with disabilities, or people with mental health issues. Itâs one of those communities that has been sh*t on for so long that weâve had no choice but to be open, because weâve only seen things like discrimination. Weâre open with everyone and everything, like no matter what you do you can still go to the LGBTQ+ community and still feel welcome. There is nothing the LGBTQIA+ community doesnât like, except Republicans that vote against our rights or people that are against us. There is absolutely no reason to go against our community, so if youâre not against us then youâre with us. I think thatâs very cool because most communities are like âoh if youâre poor or disabled or Black we donât like youâ or âwe judge you because you own this type of house or drive this type of carâ, but the LGBTQIA+ community is a safe haven for so many people which is why itâs so sad it gets sh*t on. I feel like I can do anything in the LGBTQIA+ community, and be gay and feel so welcomed.â
What changes do you wish to see in the world concerning the LGBTQ+ community?
âI want to see more LGBTQIA+ people in power. I feel like the people in power have to hide it or there are just very few because itâs not in the worldâs favor to vote for someone like that. I hope that one day, as generations go on we are educating the youth that being gay is okay and that being LGBTQIA+ is okay; LGBTQIA+ people are not aliens or monsters and I hope more people like them assume a position of power. Like I said earlier, LGBTQIA+ people are so discriminated against that they have such a love for all people and the people in power should have that trait. They should have a love for everyone because our world is so f*cked up and people in power are so discriminatory against such communities that they donât deserve the position that they have.
The people that should be in that position are the ones that have love for everyone. Definitely having more of us in power for the world, and to have acceptance. We are such a minority to these people that are White/heteronormative. Yes, there are good White people in this world but they overrun the world and theyâve made it out for their kind to be so judgemental and discriminatory towards anything but them. The egotistical and power-hungry persona is so disgusting, and I wish we had a variety. We need more diversity, but I have hope that I will live in a lifetime where things are more diverse.â
Julia Schuehle
Pronouns: she/her
My name is Julia and Iâm 21 from Seattle, WA. I love cats, live music, and traveling. I am super passionate about queer liberation and advocacy!đđłď¸âđ
Interview with Julia Schuehle
Do you think that your experiences in sexuality have had any sort of effect on your mental health?
âYeah, they definitely have just because of the way sexuality is looked at in society. Itâs a very taboo concept in peopleâs minds which is still getting outdated, but especially as someone who grew up in a more conservative family Iâve always cared about outside opinions a lot. Growing up gay definitely took a toll on my mental health.â
What has been the biggest struggle in your pride journey?
âDefinitely just fully blocking out outside opinions because the whole message with pride and the whole LGBTQIA+ community is to love yourself and not care what anyone else thinks, but I think thatâs a lot easier said than done. I think my biggest struggle has been fully coming to that place of true self-love and acceptance.â
What would you say to your younger self before you were comfortable with your sexuality?
âI would just say to be patient and open-minded, because for me and I know a few other people in the community that Iâve talked to, like the first stages of realization or worry about the subject if you are relating to it, I just immediately toned that out and was like well, I guess Iâll stay in the closet forever. Those were my initial thoughts when kind of coming to terms with it, and Iâve heard that from other people too so I feel like just be patient and donât come to any rash decisions right away. Just keep an open mind about your sexuality and what that can mean for you later in life.â
What is one piece of advice that you would give someone who is afraid to come out about their sexuality?
âI would say to really remember the presence or possibility of chosen family because so many people will not be accepted by people in their lives if they come out. I think itâs important to recognize that there is a whole community out there that is willing to step up and play that family role, even if theyâre not blood itâs still a very strong and emotional connection that I think the whole LGBTQIA+ community connects with each other on. I think that will remain for a long time.â
What is your favorite thing about the LGBTQIA+ community?
âMy favorite thing is probably the whole family aspect and the whole idea of chosen family and that you can choose the people in your life, people that want to love you and that you care about loving you. Also, another thing is the whole diversity aspect, like âqueerâ and âgayâ is just an umbrella term for the multitude of identities and sexualities and the way that people have felt and decided to express themselves. There are really no limitations which is another cool thing.â
What changes do you wish to see in the world concerning the LGBTQIA+ community?
âI think that we made a lot of good progress, obviously, in the past few years we have come to recognize the existence and normality of it; people are finally realizing that itâs normal and itâs not such a taboo thing. But, I think itâs time to bridge the gap between just recognition and actual respect because, you know, there are so many people that are so quick to say âoh, love is loveâ, thatâs a very simple thing to grasp but gay people and people in the community are still being killed and violated in many ways still. Not only in the U.S. but all around the world. I think that bridging the gap between just recognizing that weâre here and actually respecting our presence and what we have to say is a whole different story.â
Sierra Schuehle
Pronouns: she/her
My name is Sierra and Iâm 23 from Seattle, WA. I recently graduated from the University of Hawaiâi and I enjoy meeting new people and having new experiences! Iâm most passionate about living life to the fullest and being happy as your most authentic self.
Interview with Sierra Schuehle
Do you think that your experiences in sexuality have had any sort of effect on your mental health?
âI feel like Iâve always been pretty comfortable for the most part in coming to terms with everything, so it wasnât that much about how I felt but more about me being worried about how other people felt, especially how people that I was close to would take it. I came out pretty late in life after only dating men, so that was kind of confusing for me too, the realization. It wasnât that it was weird or bad or anything, I just didnât know that was a thing that was possible. It was confusing, and because I was confused I didnât know how to bring it up to other people and then I was worried they would also be confused and it would be this big, weird thing.â
What has been the biggest struggle in your pride journey?
âI think just getting over some internalized homophobia and not caring about how other people are going to take it, just because I feel like in the very early stages I was just like âoh maybe that could be interesting, but probably not for me⌠but, cool idea!â I feel like getting over that hump of âoh maybe I am interestedâ and I guess coming to terms with the fact that maybe that actually is me. I never thought there was anything wrong with it, I just thought it wasnât me. So I guess getting over the hump of âmaybe that is me, and thatâs okay.â
What would you say to your younger self before you were comfortable with your sexuality?
âI think that thereâs no one way to do ânormal.â I feel like I always thought I would end up with a man at the end of the day because that was the normal thing to do, and thatâs the conventional way that Iâve always seen it. I just figured thatâs where I would end up, regardless of how I felt towards girls because thatâs just what you do- thatâs whatâs going to happen. I think I would probably just tell myself that there isnât just one way to do ânormalâ and you can still have a quote on quote ânormalâ family that maybe just looks different than what youâve seen growing up. That doesnât make it any less of a family.â
What is one piece of advice that you would give someone who is afraid to come out about their sexuality?
âProbably that itâs really scary not knowing how the people that you already care about are going to react, but even if you donât (and a lot of the times they will) get the reaction that youâre looking for that there is still going to be so many people out there that are going to love and accept you. It is just a very inclusive group and even though you may have to deal with some loss, at the end of the day youâre never going to actually be alone. Thereâs always going to be people that want to love and support you. It wonât be a chore for certain people to love you.â
What is your favorite thing about the LGBTQIA+ community?
âI think the way that people come together when youâre in a LGBTQ+ open space, like a gay bar or the pride parade and how people open up so much.â
What changes do you wish to see in the world concerning the LGBTQIA+ community?
âI think just realizing that so much progress has been made and thatâs really great, but there is still a lot of work that needs to be done.â
Additional Resourcesđłď¸âđ
NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION LIFELINE | 1-800-273-TALK
For hearing and speech impaired with TTY equipment: 800-799-4889 | EspaĂąol: 888-628-9454
TRANS LIFELINE | 1-877-565-8860
Connecting trans people to the community, support, and resources they need to survive and thrive
LGBT NATIONAL HELP CENTER | 1-888-843-4564
Talkline for youth: 1-800-246-7743
THE TREVOR PROJECT | 1-866-4-U-TREVOR
Suicide prevention helpline for LGBTQ youth | Text START to 678678
GLMA PROVIDER DIRECTORY
Find an LGBTQ-friendly healthcare provider | http://glma.org
HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN HEALTHCARE EQUALITY INDEX
Search for healthcare facilities evaluated for their LGBTQ inclusion and equity | https://www.hrc.org/hei/search