photo by Kevin Truong
photo by Kevin Truong
photo by Kevin Truong
photo by Kevin Truong
photo by Kevin Truong
photo by Kevin Truong
photo by Kevin Truong
Kevin, in his own words: “For me, the heart doesn’t know the difference in race, sexuality, age, socioeconomic status, religion or really anything else for that matter; the heart only knows how I feel when I am in love. That love starts with loving yourself and every gay man has to go through the process of loving himself in a world where that love is not universally reciprocated. Coming out is a daunting, terrifying process but it is a liberation as well. Like a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis, coming out as a gay man changes everything and you are finally able to truly be whole and know that you are living a life of honesty and truth after spending so much time “hidden”. It eventually becomes important to recognize that your sexuality is important, but it is a facet of who you are as a person and all the pieces have to be nurtured to create a complete, happy person but that path is walked by each person in their own way, with their own uniqueness and at their own pace. My own path has had it’s ups and downs, but I am stronger and more confident having walked it than had I remained “closeted”. I wish for each gay man to find his inner strength and walk that path towards loving self-acceptance.
I have been so lucky to find a wonderful community of friends in DC that have become my family in so many ways. These beautiful, loving, caring, brilliant men have supported and bolstered me and each other to be confident and strong as gay men. When I moved to DC, I made that decision because I wanted to be in a city that had a strong community and I wanted to be a part of that community. I can say that the gay men in DC are a wondrous mix of diversity from all over the globe and that creates a really amazing community. The gay men here have a tremendous passion to positively affect change and there is a level of activism that is un-paralleled in many other places and that energy creates a sense of accomplishment and pride in who we are and how we are trying to lead change to strengthen our community.
Be true to yourself and never compromise on your needs and eventually, all will be as it should be…”