It is the kind of story you see in countless Netflix dramas now, but which I rarely saw on broadcast television growing up. I practiced saying the words “I’m gay” in a mirror and when I got the confidence to tell my friend, was so choked up I had to write it down for her. Yet, five years ago, none of those facts were as true as they are today. Today, I can easily connect with someone in a village 3,000 miles away from the bustling Starbucks I am sitting in. Today, the world spins and thrives because of cross-cultural communication. The scared boy is a shell of the empowered man typing these words now. But it was eventually speaking my truth, not living for those of others, that helped me win over the world - and make it my oyster. I use quotes here because those words were used to silence me at times when what I wanted to say was simply inconvenient or uncomfortable for others. Yet, the reality is I was always scared of the consequences and implications “speaking out of turn” would have.
People who have known me my whole life find that hard to remember. People who I met in college would find that hard to believe. Throughout my childhood, I sat still and quietly while others commanded center stage. Communication has not always come easily for me.
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