This was originally uploaded to DeviantART on June 24, 2021.



It's a special time of year.

June is Pride Month, and I've always enjoyed it, I love celebrating it with those in the LGBT+ community, and supporting those who are. However, up until now, I've not joined in myself. I decided that this year, I'm going to change that, so I guess this is what's called coming out. Except, if you know me, I don't do things the way you'd expect.

How in the world did our doughy dinosaur get up there? Perhaps he got into some trouble dealing with a multitude of Pride flags and got mixed up in them, and then was strewn up on a flagpole to be displayed with them! It's not wise for a flattened Yoshi to let go of that pole and fly off, someone help Dot and get him down!

The flags you see under Doughshi are an alternate version of the omnisexual flag, and below that is the demiromantic flag. There is a version I made using the official omnisexual flag that you can see on my Twitter, however I wanted to use the alternate flag because... come on, look at it! I love the colors!

This piece was partially inspired by the drive to learn more about myself, and actually nail down who I am. For years now, I often believed that I was on the bi- spectrum, yet over time I had learned that I belonged more to pansexuality. A conversation took place in a friend's Discord server about sexual/romantic orientation, and that was, as ridiculous as it sounds, my first time knowing that there was a separation between the two. A couple days later, I spent most of the day reading through an LGBT wiki, learning about terminology and orientations that I hadn't heard of or gave myself time to learn about. It was very insightful, and brought me to the realization that I believe I am omnisexual just a tad more than I am pan-.

For those who are unaware, the definition of omnisexual is as follows:
"Omnisexual (often shortened to omni) is an orientation defined as the sexual attraction to all genders, though gender often still plays a role in one's attraction."
You can read more about omnisexuality and its comparisons to pan- and bisexuality here. I feel like omnisexuality defines me a little more as while gender is not something that defines my connection to you, unlike pansexuality, I still recognize a difference between gender, even though I try my best to not to be judgmental.

Learning about romantic orientations was, at first, almost discovering something from nothing, but the difference is that you're not looking into what is sexually attractive to you, but what is romantically attractive. After some researching, I discovered the demiromantic orientation, which lined up so well:
"Demiromantic is a romantic orientation on the aromantic spectrum defined as someone who does not experience romantic attraction until they have formed a deep emotional connection with someone. The connection can be sexual, platonic, or some other form of connection. Forming an emotional bond with someone does not mean that one is automatically attracted to said person, as it just means there's now a possibility for one to feel attraction."
I've always noticed that I don't feel a romantic attracton towards anyone I don't closely know. When I read this definition, it kinda hit me like "YES, THAT'S IT!" And the fact that demi- can almost be attached to any orientation, I'd probably say that if it is so, demipanromantic is likely what I'd be, but then again, you could say I'm still learning.

I had alot of fun making this picture, once I figured out how I wanted to draw it. It was a bit hard to actually come out and be public about this, but I'd say that I wasn't really scared to do it either. I find myself fortunate that I'm surrounded by friends who are also in the LGBT+ community, both online and offline, who are extremely supportive and welcoming; my immediate family is respecting of my endeavors in this realm; and that I've not found myself threatened because of my support for the community or my own orientations. Again though, I still feel like I've got alot to learn about being LGBT, about sexuality, gender, and everything in between. I feel compelled to be as respectful as possible to all who are discovering themselves, either slowly or who proudly shout it.

To me, love is defined by how special people around you are to you. It's the way that you are around your friends, and that love itself shouldn't be relegated to just one relationship; it's not exclusive. It's not driven by certain views or beliefs, it's the desire for me to always appreciate and cherish who I have in my life and the feeling that happiness is one of the greatest rewards.

Thanks for looking and reading, and Happy Pride Month! 🏳️‍🌈