You Don’t Have To Be Loud To Be Proud: A Reflection on Quiet Pride

In this personal reflection for Pride month, Ellen shares her experience of finding quieter ways to celebrate Pride.

I love what Pride stands for – visibility, celebration, community – but the reality of big, loud events has never been my thing.

As a sensitive person, I find large groups overwhelming. I prefer to blend into the background, and I actively cringe away from anyone who approaches me with a microphone – even though I love to sing along to those same songs when I’m at home. I want to take part, but my social batteries get drained quickly so sometimes I have to go home before the party is over.

Every year, when Pride month comes around, I notice the same feeling of unease in myself. I love seeing LGBT+ joy and celebration, vibrant parades and rainbow-clad revellers, but part of me feels like I’m watching from the outside, not sure where I fit in.

My version of Pride looks a little quieter.

It looks like reading books and poetry by LGBT+ writers. It looks like heartfelt conversations with friends about our journeys and identities. It looks like supporting causes I believe in through writing, donating, or organising behind the scenes. It looks like quietly standing up for myself and my community. And sometimes, it looks like leaving the party early – or joining after the parade is finished – because I know I can show up in other ways.

I know I’m not the only one who feels this way. Many of us in the LGBT+ community are introverts, or highly sensitive, or live with anxiety. Many of us carry histories of feeling unsafe in crowds. Many of us love connection, but prefer it on a smaller scale.

Parades, parties, protest – these are vital, powerful parts of the movement. Sometimes, if we step back from those, it can feel like we are missing out, or not doing enough, or even letting the side down. But there is no one right way to be proud.

Pride is about visibility, yes – but it’s also about self-acceptance, community, and love. And those things can be just as meaningful in one-to-one moments, quiet rooms, and everyday life.

So if you, like me, find Pride events overwhelming, or if you worry that you’re not “doing Pride right,” I want to offer you this gentle reminder: your Pride is valid. Whether you show it with banners or books, with dance parties or deep conversations, with a big joyful crowd or a small circle of trusted friends – it all counts.

You don’t have to be loud to be proud. You don’t have to take up space in a parade to take up space in this community. You belong, exactly as you are.