Something I tend to say a lot is "live your truth." It's a saying I've told to friends, written in social media posts, and really taken to heart. To me, living your truth is unapologetically being who you are, living life the way you want to live it, and being true to yourself. This is something very important to me, as I believe nobody should ever have to hide any aspect of themselves. Unfortunately, we live in a society where stigmas exist around every identity. I hope to break through the stigmas by sharing my soul with the world, and living my truth.
My unapologetic truth is this: I am queer, and I am mentally ill. These things may have negative connotations. They may even cause some of you reading this to already put an image in your heads of who I am. My truth is more than just those identities. It is the experiences that have come with them. My truth is that I am a powerful woman, shaped by my identities and experiences.
Truth is defined as "that which is true in accordance to fact or reality." Our truths are a part of us. They are a part of our reality. By definition, they cannot be changed. If we deny our truths, we are denying ourselves the opportunity to embrace who we are, and who we can become. Many identities expressed in our truths can seem like our downfalls at times. I know there was a time in my life where I was not living my truth, not accepting who I was, and not living to my full potential. Once I realized the importance of living my truth, I found so much love and support in my friends and family, and so many opportunities to encourage others to live their truths.
Living my truth is something I have found myself thinking a lot about lately. I know many of you at the Ohio State have seen or heard of the "oval preachers." These are men and women who come to our campus and preach hate, discrimination, and oppression. They shame those of us who live our truths, calling us sinners, saying we are damned. But I think living our truths and dealing with people like this makes us stronger, and more sure of ourselves. If we are able to stand up against oppression and live our truths, we are better than them, simply because we are unapologetically us.
Living your truth can be difficult. It can cause you to lose friends, lose support, even doubt yourself. I have had times when I wished my truth was not that I was queer, or that I was mentally ill, but I cannot change who I am, and I must continue to live my life and be the best I can be. I encourage all of you to start living your truths, and respecting the truths of others. This will help move us towards a more accepting and loving society, and isn't that what we all want?
