Pride Month With Christine Yahya from Pink Bits

With Pride Month upon us, we're celebrating love, diversity, inclusivity, and self-expression in all its forms. We had the pleasure of speaking with Christine Yahya, the artist behind the popular @pink_bits account. With her bold, colourful illustrations celebrating body positivity and inclusivity, Christine's work embodies the spirit of Pride. In this insightful interview, she shares her perspectives on the significance of Pride Month, offers tips on how to get involved, and reflects on her own early experiences discovering the joy of Pride.

What does Pride month mean to you?

Pride month feels like a glowing & unapologetic celebration of queerness. It’s an invitation to reflect on & cherish this part of my identity. Pride month means honouring LGBTQIA+ history, reflecting on where we’ve been and how we’re evolving.

How can others get involved? 

There’s a million ways to get involved, whether you’re a fellow queer, or an Ally! The most obvious and spectacular way, is to head to a pride parade or event. 

But on a smaller scale and even all year round, you can:

• Support local queer creatives, makers and designers
• Head to a drag show
• Educate yourself on LGBTQIA+ history
• Donate to queer charities/organisations
• Follow + support more queer creators + activists

The key is, after pride month is over; showing up for Queer people. Whether that’s stepping up in ugly conversations, through your vote, at rallies, at work, in friendships etc. 

What do you do to get involved/favourite Pride events?

My favourite way to get involved is to wear the gayest outfits I can put together, and shake ass as much as possible over the month.

What was your first ever Pride Month experience? 

My earliest memory of Pride Month was probably seeing coverage and snippets of a parade on the news as a kid. The memory is hazy, but I don’t recall the family room feeling kind towards the beautiful expressions of self on screen.

Heading to my first pride month event was so joyful in comparison to those early memories. Running into queer people on the train, there being an electricity & joy in the air. Feeling a sense of community and as though a piece of my identity had finally slipped into comfortable place.

Pride Month is a time to honor the rich history and ongoing journey of the LGBTQIA+ community. Thank you Christine for your words and for sharing your beautiful, empowering works of art. They’re a powerful reminder that true pride lies in unapologetically being ourselves.
 
Love, Libra x
 
Essity Australasia makes no warranties or representations regarding the completeness or accuracy of the information. This information should be used only as a guide and should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional, medical or other health professional advice.