Hey y’all!
Public displays of affection (PDA) have always been an issue for me. The first interaction I ever had regarding my sexuality was when I was in kindergarten. Long story short, and I’ve written about it here, but I was told that if I kept doing things like I was doing, playing doctor with a fellow boy, I would be put in jail and only have water and bread the rest of my life. This happened to be in rural Texas at the time, so if you can imagine how bad it is now, then imagine how it was back then.
Now, the political climate makes it dangerous to be yourself in public. Not dressing like it would be a question, my painted nails, the way I talk, the way I walk… There are lots of things I do and present as, all of which scare me to show PDA in public these days. We were going to go to the mall after we attended Pride this year, but I was still dressed in my short shorts and a shirt that says “Y’all Means All” in rainbow across my chest and was covered in colorful chalk dust.
I know it bothers Levi because he doesn’t care about it, although he’s a 6’4” big dude. He also tells me I never have to worry about it because he will always protect me. Levi said he would protect me Richie never liked PDA Attacked, cars, and a house vandalized Stickers on the back of my car or the pride flag I try not to want to care, but from a very early age, I was taught it was wrong. In my early adulthood, with my ex, I had no real experience with positive PDA.