Moving On From The Effects of Many Years of Discrimination For Being LGBT

Watch the video first, and I hope you'd get surprised, somewhat by what you'd see. What I thought was most disturbing about this video is that portion when the protagonist had to resort to self-destructing activities after having been discriminated against with, directly and indirectly, for sustained periods of time by people who are supposed to be natural members of his support group, loved ones, and family. It's that disconnect, that sense that you're not being accepted and loved for who you are, and you start believing what they think or tell you about yourself. And of course, we can't help but believe such lies for so long. In the process of believing, we know deep in hearts who we really are as individuals who are deserving to receive love, understanding, care from those who matter to us. 

It's in the process of realization, in the process of clarifying life's many complicated situations when we see that such values can't be given us and, consequently we start to engage self-destructing activities. I knew I've had such episodes for many years, i.e., I would engage in cruising for sex (some experiences from those years, I've written and published a book-memoir on). And thank God, I've managed to recognize, become gradually aware, and take responsibility for my self and all my actions---but it has taken me long years to do that, so much personal pain, mainly because it was difficult to see the light especially when everything around me seemed so dark, negative, foreboding. And I've learned to basically mistrust people, including myself. Somewhat somewhere I started loving myself more unconditionally. I saw that it's the first major step if you like to reform, rehabilitate yourself from whatever it is that ails you... It has not been easy (it's really far from it, even with all the texts available, support groups ready to help out there). You have to take the first major steps. Gratefully, I am still able to continue moving on.