In His Own Words: JJ Ferreira On Celebrating Pride

In the month of June, the LGBTQ+ community is recognized on a global level with Pride Month.  Parades, events, rainbows, and love spread throughout local communities to bring together so many people.  The word “Pride,” to me, is the embodiment of being vulnerable and showing who I am unapologetically to help create a space that allows others to do the same.  

My story is not too dissimilar from that of others.  I always knew I was “different” and didn’t know how to be myself.  I didn’t even know who I was.  The world surrounding me showed me that I was supposed to be with someone of the opposite gender.  That I was supposed to get married to a woman, buy a house, and have a family.  TV, Movies, family, friends, and people on the street all built this image that I thought I was required to follow.  I tried to create this image of myself and follow what I thought I was “supposed” to do.  I had some incredibly dark times and didn’t know if I could ever get out.  My exterior told others I was doing great, but my interior was screaming and crying for help.

It took me over 30 years, but I finally realized that it’s ok to be different.  That I can still have all of those things and be loved by someone of the same gender.  I found an incredible human who was able to let me figure out myself in my own time, with no pressures, and is now forever my life partner.  It’s incredible to be a part of the LGBTQ+ community.  I was lucky to have an amazing support system around me throughout the most trying times of my coming out.  Not everyone is so blessed to have as many positive responses as I did.  

This is why PRIDE is so important.

We get to show love for all of those “different” people.  Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay, people who identify as Transgendered, and all Queer people alike of many shapes, sizes, colors, ethnicities, and backgrounds get to be themselves.  We get to be authentic.  We get to feel loved in a world where sometimes, maybe we don’t feel like we always are.  We get to be vulnerable and show who we are.

I’ve learned to be able to expand the showing of my Pride from just the month of June into the entire year.  It’s easy for companies and businesses to show that they care for a specific group of people during one month a year, so it’s easier to be authentic during that month.  But we’re not just queer in the month of June.  We are queer 365 days a year.  

The University of Maryland and the Big Ten Conference have provided me so many amazing opportunities to show my Pride, to be me, and to support all others in the LGBTQ+ community.  

Pride, to me, is being able to host the first LGBTQ+ Pride Gymnastics competition for the University of Maryland and watch my team glow with excitement wearing rainbow ribbons in their hair and give me some of the tightest hugs knowing how much it meant to me.

Pride, to me, is being seen by the University of Maryland Athletics Department by inviting me to be a part of the Big Ten Equality Coalition and celebrating my efforts to create more exposure for the community.

Pride, to me, is being a part of the Big Ten Conference LGBTQ+ Working Group and the WCGA DEI Committee to make a difference within our Universities, staff, and student-athletes.

Pride, to me, is being unapologetically vulnerable.

Pride, to me, is being able to love myself for who I am.

In the past few years, I have felt increasingly empowered to show my Pride. I have been able to march in the World Pride Parade in NYC and Baltimore Pride in 2019, as well as the Annapolis Pride Parade in 2022.  My dog and cat wear rainbow bowties for the whole month of June.  I proudly fly the Inclusivity Flag outside of my house.  I have tried to find every way possible to show who I am to the world in the hopes that maybe someone walking past me or driving by my house can have the courage to become their true authentic self.

I remind myself that the more I share my story and who I am, the more likely it is that I can change someone’s life.  

Proving that there is a safe space for everyone.  

Proving that even though it feels impossible at times, you CAN do it.  You CAN be yourself and still be loved.