[LGBTQ+] Pride In Who I Am – Emelie Moretti
Are you an IMVU-user browsing Instagram, and coming across loads of Second Life accounts? Do the graphics on SL captivate your attention and curiosity? Or is that how you started life on SL? You’re not the only one! Emelie Moretti found out about SL in the same manner and has been participating in it, ever since. Emelie, also known as Synnergy on Second Life, is twenty-five years young and from West Palm Beach, Florida. She’s been on the virtual platforms [SL & IMVU] for approx. two years, and spends the majority of her time with family, dedicating time to improving her avatar, or just exploring and finding her place. She has also been part of the LGBTQ community for a very significant amount of time and has been open enough to share her experiences and views with us all, within this Q&A session.
How did you first realize your sexuality? “In middle school, my best friend Natalie moved to Orlando, and there was no way our fam was going to drive us back and forth. I went from talking to her every day, to barely getting a hello. It felt as though I was begging for her attention. Then, I noticed on MySpace, I wasn’t the first place in her top 8 friends [LOL] and she was posting photos with another girl. I called her snappin’ on why she’s ignoring me and how I felt replaced, and she said, "Eme, you sound like you’re my boyfriend or something." Swear to God, I felt like I was. When she visited me, I had this overwhelming urge to kiss her, and well over time, things escalated. For the first time, I realized, not even dating the opposite sex, that I can fall for the same sex. Homosexuality was hidden around those times.”
Do you think it is easy to be accepted into the LGBTQ community? “Personally, it’s easily accepted as a female because of the overrated idea of being a lesbian or bisexual. Women are more inclined to partake in a threesome, so our weddings or relationships are never taken seriously. But as a male, especially a black male, you’re used to being placed in positions to prove yourself, that when you finally have the courage to demand respect from others, and have others fall at your heels for who you are, reciprocating that same energy you put into the world and yourself, you don’t want that feeling to go anywhere. So sometimes, it creates emotional blocks, to where love to one another in our "community" isn’t extended as often as we deserve.”
Do you think being gay/bisexual is a choice? “As contradicting as this sounds, it is. We chose to live this life. We cannot help who we fall for, and SL and IMVU have proven that. You never know who you’re speaking to on the other side of the monitor until your BTA curiosities get the best of you. Some people end up finding out that they’re talking to the same gender or the opposite gender. You find out you’re talking to someone of a different race or the same. But at the end of the day, you bonded and gave your time. That’s s*** you can’t get back. Credits/Lindens to a human being. The same person you lost sleep for, the same person you’d get into virtual battles for, the same person you’d probably never give a chance to in RL. This game has made me a pansexual - if you stimulate me emotionally (demisexual) or intellectually (sapiosexual), I can’t help but see how beautiful this vibe may be.”
What are your thoughts on Pride month, and should it be for one month only? “We have restrictions on so many controversial things. Pride is a lifestyle, not a historic event. It’s what people happily chose to "be". It’s inappropriate to limit it to a month or even acknowledge it the way we do. We don't have a month for being a female or a male. We don’t have a parade for lifestyle preferences.”
What are the pros and cons of being bisexual in the virtual community? “The pros: I get to settle any anxious thoughts of others who haven’t come out in RL yet. I was once there. The cons: it’s a trend on here, to be honest, so you don’t really know who's really true about their s***. I can think someone is a solid ass top, to find out I will have to guide them as a bottom.”
What do you think is the biggest problem for the LGBTQ community? “We are begging to be accepted from others, but cannot accept another member of the LGBTQ community with open loving arms or even ourselves. Some mock, others envy, some people see it as a phase or a trend; it’s degrading. Can you imagine fighting a changing world, in a war where you attack your own soldiers?”
“Stop looking for validation from "human-beings" that struggle to even accept themselves. Not enough surgery, money, drugs, sex, knowledge, power, etc. can make or keep them happy, so why get confirmation on who you are from anyone, but YOU?”
Disclaimer: the personal views and opinions written in this post are from the writer and do not always express the professional opinion and views of Verve X Magazine.
Interviewer: Destiny
Photos: @synn.ergy
Copy Editor: Voque
