I spent a lot of time living behind a mask. 😺🏳️‍🌈

Описание: I spent a lot of my life living behind a mask, but 5 years ago today I took the brave step of taking it off and sharing TWO of my life's most guarded secrets:

That I was guy behind the viral BYU mascot dance videos 😺
That I am gay 🏳️‍🌈

Being a closeted student at Brigham Young University was difficult. Even as I was having transformative experiences and gaining national acclaim as the university's mascot, I felt immense pressure to hide my orientation and was hyper-aware of how others talked about people like me. The same community that made me feel like a superstar often simultaneously made me feel broken, unloved and defective.

It was this juxtaposition that led me to write an article where I shared my experiences and offered guidance on how religious communities can be more inclusive and aware of others.

The article was published by the Deseret News on February 26, 2019, and I never could have anticipated how much that random Tuesday would change my life. Within just a few hours it was the number one trending story in Utah and was picked up by media platforms across the globe. The response led me to quit my job at a security firm in NYC, go back to school to become a licensed mental health professional, and write two books aimed at helping members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints better understand and show love to LGBTQ+ individuals. It also helped me realize that l was never alone. There have always been gay members of my religion, many of whom have worked tirelessly to inspire hope and build understanding between our two communities.

In the five years since I have seen immense changes in my faith community, but perhaps the biggest changes I have seen are in myself. While I once let fear and shame dictate my decisions, I now allow faith to guide me forward. I'm able to build the life I want to live because I know the truth of who I am.

And I can confidently say:

Life is so much better without the mask!

#dance #comingout #byu #mascot