Becoming out loud: Reclaiming identity through pride and art

This is part of the Shore Stories: Life Along the Lakeshore series, which includes columns by local and former residents about their lives.

All my life, I’ve longed for three things: to feel loved, to be accepted, and to use my creativity – my art, my spirit, and my lived experiences – in a way that not only tells my story, but creates connection.

As someone who uses a wheelchair and lives with cerebral palsy, I’ve spent years moving through a world that wasn’t built with me in mind. I’ve had to navigate spaces that asked me to shrink, wait, or prove myself before I was fully seen. But over time, I’ve come to understand that my body, my voice, and my story have always held value, whether others recognized it or not.

Jeffrey VanDyke

Lately, I’ve been reflecting on the quiet, powerful parallels between disability and queerness. Both invite us to unlearn the idea that we have to fit in to be worthy. Both ask us to reclaim what we were once told to hide. Both are about becoming – and learning to do so on our own terms.

This year, Pride feels different for me. I’m not just showing up as an ally, but as someone learning to embrace parts of myself I’ve only recently started to name. Someone learning how to step into their light with softness and strength. Someone reclaiming their journey after years of pushing through self-doubt, using creativity in ways words can’t yet express, and embracing all facets of their identity.

I’m honored to be part of this year’s Pride celebrations—not only speaking at the event, but also sharing my artwork. These pieces were born from reflection, resistance, and hope. They carry the colors of my journey, and I hope they offer a spark to someone else—someone still learning to feel seen, to feel possible.

Jeffrey VanDyke

If you see me at the event, come say hi. I’ll be the one still blooming, still becoming – and so, so proud to be here.

To anyone still on that journey: I see you. I’m with you. And I hope my work makes space for you to breathe a little easier.

I’ll be at Unruly Brewing Co. in Muskegon on July 12 from 5 to 7 p.m., sharing a bit more about myself and answering any questions you may have. Come celebrate with us. At this stage of my life, I’m still learning to love, celebrate, and honor the things that make me unique, and I’d be honored to share that space with you.

Photos courtesy of Jeffrey VanDyke

Jeffrey VanDyke is an artist and a peer mentor at Disability Network West Michigan.

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