PRIDE STORIES: BERLIN

PROUD THEN. PROUD NOW. PROUD ALWAYS

Arnaud from our Berlin store community talks Pride, what it means to them and why it’s still so important in 2022.

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ARNAUD
HE/THEY

STORE MANAGER

Q: WHAT DOES PRIDE MEAN TO YOU?

A: It’s a time where we can celebrate who we are. Tell the world outside that we exist, we always existed, and we will always exist. It is a moment to celebrate the beauty and diversity of humankind. It is also for me a moment of commemoration for those who are not here anymore simply because of who they were.

Q: HOW WOULD YOU SAY THE LGBTQIA+ COMMUNITY HAS SHAPED YOU?

A: I come from Versailles, a very conservative place near Paris and was educated in private catholic school where my existence was considered a sickness and that people like me needed help. So when I discovered those flamboyant clubs, where thousands of people like me could just be who they are without any judgement, it felt like a liberation.It was hard to understand at first what was happening within myself, but with the years passing by, I realised it was a journey towards self-acceptance and this would not have been possible without my closest friends nor without this beautiful community who offered me a space in which I could grow and challenge ideas and bias I inherited from a conservative socialisation.

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Q: WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO YOUR YOUNGER SELF?

A: I would not give any advice to my younger self. Everything in my life happened as it happened. I cannot change the past. And I do not want to - as I would not be who I am today if things would have happened differently. Every decision I made, good or bad, led me to experience this feeling of being truly loved for who I am.

Q: WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO SOMEONE WHO IS AFRAID TO COME OUT?

A: Coming out is such a personal thing. I can only say that no matter what you decide, it is the right decision. Every moment is the right moment to come out. Some people do early in their life, some will later, some never will, and all of those choices are valid choices, and no one should be able to take them away from you. The most important thing to know is that no matter what you decide, you are not alone, never were, never will. We are a lot out there who will embrace you just for who you are.

Q: DO YOU EVER FEEL LIKE YOU’VE FACED ADVERSITY? HOW DID YOU OVERCOME IT?

A: I do - and on different levels. I guess the biggest adversity I face is my own self. As much as I can be my best friend, I am also the shadow. The hardest is to acknowledge this side of myself and see it as a partner that can help me grow into a better version of myself. I always try to keep in mind who I want to become to understand what I can take from this adversity, and what I can learn from it. Adversity with yourself is probably the most challenging one as there is no way around it.

“WE EXIST. WE ALWAYS EXISTED. AND WE WILL ALWAYS EXIST.”

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Q: WHEN DO YOU FEEL THE MOST CONFIDENT?

A: On the dancefloor when nothing around me exists and it’s just me and the music.

Q: HOW DOES WEARING DM’S MAKE YOU FEEL?

A: I have been wearing DM’s for over ten years now. And I guess they have become a part of me, especially my first pair (1490 cherry red) which I still wear. They have so much history with me, they carried me everywhere, in the most improbable and craziest places.

Q: DO YOU HAVE A STANDOUT MEMORY OF SERVING A PARTICULAR CUSTOMER?

A: I guess I will always remember an 80+ year old man coming in with his son. He was from England and was purchasing his first pair of Docs. A few months later, his son came back and told me his father was wearing them every day and absolutely loved them. Since then, the whole family came to the store to purchase their own Docs. He was one of my very first customers when I started here, and he represents the values the brand carries.

Q: CAN YOU SHARE OR RECOMMEND ANY RESOURCES, COMMUNITY HANGOUTS AND LGBTQIA+ CENTRES?

A: First, I will always recommend books - there are so many of them, someone somewhere at one point in history encountered the same problem and wrote about it. This is probably one of the biggest legacy our forefathers left us. I would definitely recommend reading James Baldwin, Aime Cesaire, Saint Exupery, CG Jung, Arendt, Karl Jaspers or Delphine Horvilleur to name just a few.

You can also use Instagram in an educational way. Some profiles can really help you grasp some topics and quickly understand some concepts before diving deeper into them. I would recommend following:

@alokvmenon
@nowhitesaviors
@amadeuantoniofoundation
@belltowernews
@wearemanenough (to tackle masculinity bias)

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Jugend Gegen Aids

Jugend Geden Aids is a charity that tackles the stigma of sex education and encourages young people to be more confident and responsible about their sexuality. The charity spreads awareness through school workshops and fights for a more enlightened society through safe sex education.

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