It’s Pride Month!
Every June, we put on a show. And it’s a damn good gay one – rainbows, music, dance, glitter, drag, power, protest. Pride is electric. But it’s also sacred. Underneath the celebration is something tender and often unsaid: Pride isn’t just about being out. It’s about being whole. Being seen for who you are and not just who you’re allowed to be. And that’s not always as simple as waving a flag.
Taking Off the Mask and Coming Home to Yourself
If you’re a gay or bi man, chances are you’ve worn a few masks in your life. You might’ve put one on the first time someone called you “too feminine” or “not man enough.” Another when you walked into a straight bar and felt like you had to shrink. Maybe you wear one at work. Maybe even around your own friends or family. These masks are often invisible and quiet little edits to your personality. You don’t laugh too loudly. You don’t mention the guy you’re seeing. You deepen your voice. You smile instead of speak up. You act fine when you’re definitely not fine.
And the thing is, these habits aren’t random. They’re survival tools. We learn early on how to shape shift in a world that hasn’t always made space for us. For some, the world still doesn’t. But survival mode isn’t the same as living. You can’t build real intimacy, passion, or freedom from behind a mask. Not in friendships. Not in dating. Not with family. And definitely not with yourself.
Authenticity Isn’t Loud, It’s Honest
When people talk about “living authentically,” it can sound like a buzzword. Like you have to be some kind of fearless, rainbow wearing icon who never doubts themselves. But the truth is, authenticity isn’t about being bold or extroverted. It’s about being honest. It’s about coming into the room, any room, as your full self, without needing to water it down or explain it away. Sometimes that’s quiet. Sometimes it’s fierce. Sometimes it’s messy, awkward and still evolving. All of it is valid. And it’s in that space, where we stop pretending and stop performing that real connection begins.
What Pride Is Really About
Pride started as a riot. A refusal. A moment when our community said: ‘no more hiding’. And yet, decades on, hiding still happens but just in subtler ways. We hide behind curated Instagram lives. Behind gym bodies and fake confidence. Behind “I’m fine.” Behind jokes. Behind hookups we don’t actually enjoy. Behind silence in rooms where we wish we could speak.
So here’s a gentle challenge for this Pride Month: Where are you still hiding?
Not to shame yourself, but to gently notice. Because Pride isn’t just about coming out once. It’s a lifelong unfolding. It’s about slowly removing the layers that never really fit. It’s about remembering who you were before the world told you to be smaller. It’s about reclaiming softness, sensuality, strength, emotion, joy… without apology.
Real Intimacy Demands Vulnerability. If you’ve ever felt lonely in a crowded room, or disconnected in a relationship that looked great on the outside, you’re not alone. A lot of gay men struggle with intimacy. Not for lack of desire, but because we’ve been trained to fear vulnerability. We’ve been taught it’s weak. That asking for what we need makes us needy. That expressing emotion is unattractive. That boundaries make us unlovable. That softness is shameful. But real intimacy – that deep, soul-quaking intimacy – only happens when we stop performing and start revealing.
When we let people see us, even the parts we don’t always love ourselves. That’s when the magic happens. That’s when the loneliness eases. That’s when we stop chasing attention and start experiencing connection.
What Does Belonging Look Like?
Fitting in means editing yourself to match the room. Belonging means being yourself and trusting the right people will stay. In our community, it’s easy to confuse popularity with worth. To think the number of likes or hookups reflects how lovable we are. But love, the kind that sees you, knows you, and cherishes you, doesn’t come from performing. It comes from showing up as you. Fully flawed and glorious. And not everyone will love it. But the right ones will. And when they do, you’ll know they’re seeing you, not the mask.
This Pride, Come Home to Yourself
So this June, celebrate. Be loud if you want. Be quiet if that’s your vibe. March, dance, kiss, cry, rest, shout, flirt and hold hands. But most of all, be real and unapologetically your authentic self. Be the version of yourself that doesn’t need approval. Be the one who knows that worthiness isn’t something to earn, it’s something you already have. Let Pride be a chance to not just come or go out, but to come home to your true self.
At Adonis Massage, Pride isn’t a one-month event, it’s part of who we are every single day. We’re a gay owned business, proudly serving the the men of Manchester’s LGBTQ+ community with real care, good humour, and genuine connection. Our space isn’t just about massage, it’s about helping gay and bi men feel safe, seen, respected, and celebrated in their bodies. No judgement. No performance. Just honest human touch in an atmosphere where you can truly let go.
This Pride, we stand with every queer person still finding their way back to their authentic self and we honour those who’ve paved the way by being unapologetically themselves. We see you. We support you. And we’re bloody proud of you.
