BORN THAT WAY, by Paul R

“When I was growing up, I felt very separate from my peers. Now I understand it is because I am gay, but at the time, all I knew was that bullies picked up on the fact that there was something different about me and tried to make me feel worthless. I started to think I had an inherent flaw that had been present since birth and needed to be squelched if I was to ever have a ‘normal’ life. Thankfully, I had a strong support system, including Linda Regula (my You Will Rise Project co-founder) who taught me to channel my feelings into artistic expression, helping me find confidence in myself along the way and ultimately grow up to embrace the person I was born to be.”