CW: Suicide, Depression, Dating Violence, Domestic Abuse, COVID-19 My name is Mar Lee, but you can call me Marlee or Mar, and my pronouns are they/them/theirs. I’m a 5th-year student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. I’m the Community Organizer for OutNebraska, Nebraska’s state LGBTQIA+ advocacy organization. I’m a member of Dear UNL, a group of sexual assault survivors from UNL that decided to stop being quiet. I’m an Advisory Board Member for Disability Rights Nebraska

July 2016, Alton Sterling, a 36-year-old black man, was shot dead at close range in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Multiple witnesses posted videos of the incident and eventually, police footage was released. I watched it in full. July 2016, Philando Castile, a 32-year-old black man, was pulled over and shot seven times in Falcon Heights, Minnesota. His partner, Diamond Reynolds, went to Facebook live and filmed the aftermath. I watched it in full. These incidents were days apart. I

You can come out Bitter, or you can come out better. Quarantine, amirite ladies...? *crickets....crickets.....* But for real, what a trip it has been! Never in my wildest dreams did I think this is how it would turn out either, but let us get into it kids! When quarantine first started, myself, like many others, may have had thoughts like: “I’m gonna come out of this a whole new person. I’m going to master the guitar and piano, train my dancing to a new level, and get SO FIT!

Hi Rainbow Cloud Chasers - Morgan here, with a PSA learning moment I had earlier this month: rather than yucking someone’s queer yum, discover a new flavor! Last week I was chatting with up and coming change maker of the LGBTQIA+ community. They asked who my queer hero was growing up, and how they affected who I am today. I thought for longer than I had anticipated, and without thinking, stated with nostalgia, and pride: “Judy Garland AS Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz”. From ac

Jessica on Being Too Much by Jessica Ward All throughout childhood I was the loud, funny, goofy kid. I wore silly hats to school, cracked jokes in class, and loved — I mean, LOVED, a good talent show. I was friendly, I was fun, and for a while, I thought everyone was having that fun, too. When I got to middle school, I carried my eccentricities with me. I auditioned for the choir and the dance team, and I was involved in theater in my community. Life was great for this hypera

Do you know how powerful it is to call yourself hot? Even if you don’t believe it, just to say it? I remember one time when I was a counselor at a summer camp, I had a romantic entanglement with another counselor who was absolutely gorgeous (this was six years ago, but he is still gorgeous). I expressed to a friend that I didn’t understand why someone as hot as he was would be attracted to me. I thought I was too fat, or feminine, or just not enough. “Because you’re hot!” my

Hello Rainbow Cloud - My name is Anica Garcia-DeGraff, and I’m a white-passing Mexican American. I would like to share that being a white-passing mixed woman during this historic time is, even though I am Mexican, that I still benefit from systems that favor white privilege. I am constantly learning when to stand up and when to sit down, when to speak to protect and when to silently hold space for other BIPOC folx. I really want others to think about, that as we go forward, a

Hello all! Kyle Rice here. Here is my 'Rainbow Cloud Story' as requested by Creative Director, Cameron Stefanski, of The Rainbow Cloud Project. Please be advised that some content within this story may be triggering. ---------- My story doesn’t have a hero. There is no “coming of age” story or a moment of contentment. To be content in the world is to be blind to its chaos. So, I am writing a short clip of my life to understand and teach about its influence, how the world shif

Hey there everyone! My name is Shannon Jackson. I want to share with everyone a small story of how I overcame a very difficult situation at a young age. I was both shocked and honored when I was approached to share my story with you all. By the time I was eight years old I had gone to two different schools, I started out in a public school, and then for two years, I went to a private school. Upon returning to back public school they discovered through testing that I was in fa

Hello!! My name is Levi, I just turned twenty recently, and I’m autistic!! I’m going to try and keep this paragraph short + sweet because I’ve actually uploaded a YouTube video (see above and please watch) that goes a bit more in-depth about the story but, to sum things up, I wasn’t actually diagnosed with autism until I was eighteen years old. I went through elementary, middle, and high school without any sort of academic accommodations that would’ve assisted me. I struggled

Hello, friends of The Rainbow Cloud Project! My name is Mary, or you can call me Mur, Murb, Mar, or if you’re my dad...Sister Mary Frances. At first, when I was approached to participate in the #RainbowCloudStories I had MAJOR anxiety about it.  What should I talk about? Who would read/listen? Who ACTUALLY wants to hear what you have to say? That’s been a constant in my life for as long as I remember: always caring what others would think. When I was in high school, I was stu