Jayden, a Newly Out Teen, Shares His Thoughts on ‘What Pride Means to Me’

Many among the older generations can’t even contemplate celebrating Pride Month as a young teen. But kids these days are ‘coming out’ and living full, authentic lives at younger ages, and mainstream acceptance of the LGBTQ community means that in many parts of the world, rainbows and their significance are hard to escape come June.

Meet Jayden, a self-taught makeup artist who loves posting his creations on Instagram and TikTok. (He’s of course not yet old enough to join the network of LGBTQ people on Hornet.) He reached out and wanted to share his own thoughts on Pride — from the perspective of a teen who recently came out to his friends and family, and who is looked to by other teens for advice on coming out and living authentically.

Below, Jayden shares his own thoughts on Pride — its meaning and personal significance for him, how he deals with haters, and a message to his loving LGBTQ community.

“What Pride Means to Me” by Jayden Murillo

As a gay teen, it can be hard for me at times since I have been out for less than a year. I came out fully to my family five months ago. Coming out at such a young age was very scary for me and hard to do. I’ve known I was gay ever since I was 11 years old.

I’m very blessed to have my family who are very supportive of who I am. When I learned about Pride, I was fascinated by it. At that time I wasn’t out yet, so I didn’t celebrate it. Pride to me means equality, and being able to live your authentic life without caring what others think of you. Now that I am fully out to everyone, I’m able to be myself and celebrate with family and friends.