30 years ago I was hurt by a family friend in the house pictured here, just beyond that upstairs window, over the course of two years. When I left York, Nebraska in 1994 I swore that I would never return…and I have kept that promise to myself and others in the years since.
My sweet mom and dad were passing through that part of the country today and agreed to take some pictures of places where I felt that I had lost myself and send them to me.
So here is this shitty house with its stupid upstairs window, in all its small nothingness. It’s not big and scary like I have grown it in my mind all these years; It’s just a house like any other house in a town like any other town. This place has no power anymore, and neither does the man who hurt me there.
I’m going back to York later this year with my family so that we can bury our shared trouble in the dirt where it first found us and make new memories there together. Love is stronger than fear. Every time. And I am surrounded by love.
If you are experiencing abuse, I encourage you to tell someone you trust. You can also contact RAINN at www.RAINN.org and they can help.
There are lots of people out here in the world who are rooting for your survival. You are not alone. Ever. ❤️
On Saturday I woke up to the news of singer Christina Grimmie being gunned down and killed at a meet and greet with fans after her show. On Sunday I woke up to the news of extreme LGBT violence by way of the deadliest shooting in U.S. history.
I feel sick and afraid. I want to cancel all of my upcoming public appearances and find a closet to go back inside of. But I cannot. And I will not. I will not be made quiet by fear. I will not let American apathy dictate my path. And I will never stop hoping that change will come. Never. At times like this it’s important to remember that somewhere in the world, good is still happening. Cute, simple things are still real during ugly, complicated days.
I wrote this song “Go There When You Want To Be Loved” about my own feeling that there is no safe place for me in the world at times as a gay man, as a person living with persistent mental health struggles, and as a public person known for both. These lyrics feel like the only words I can find for how I am feeling, so I am releasing it now as a fundraiser for my queer family in Orlando.
Keep laughing. Keep kissing. Keep dancing. Keep loving each other. Keep fighting for your place in the world. Gay is great and so are you.
100% of the proceeds of this single will go to support recovery efforts in Orlando’s LGBT community. Click HERE to purchase your copy.
Jun 12, 2016Comments Off on WATCH: “Destigmatizing Mental Illness” with Sheila Hamilton, Logan Lynn, Jennifer Pepin and Benedict Carey of The New York Times at PNCA (VIDEO)
I was thrilled to be part of the 2016 PNCA Edelman Lecture “Destigmatizing Mental Illness” event at PNCA featuring Sheila Hamilton, Jennifer Pepin and yours truly in conversation with Benedict Carey of The New York Times a few weeks back!
For those who missed it, you can now watch the lecture and dialogue online here:
