Episode 6 featured our interview with Vanessa Demornay. Many LGBTQ+ individuals, like Vanessa, start out in poverty and are often abandoned by what should have been their support system. It is in these moments that LGBTQ+ youth and young adults must have the strongest resilience in order to survive.
Today, there is more help available to those in these situations than ever before. If you find yourself in need of help, reach out to us, a local college LGBTQ+ center, or any LGBTQ non-profit. We will do whatever it takes to find you the help you need to survive—and thrive—in this world.
But once your survival needs are met, what next? Where do you go from there? Ultimately, that’s going to be based on your own life choices and goals. But we encourage you to seek out opportunities with the things you love to do. Take a second job if you need to in order to help make ends meet, but never give up on your creative endeavors or what you love in life.
Find a piece of paper. Now, write down this question: Are you genuinely loving the opportunity to prove yourself, to perform for people, whether they want you to succeed or not?
I ask myself this question everyday. If I find myself struggling with it, then I know I need to make a change to live a more fulfilling life. If the answer is yes, I am on the right path and committed to my own self-love.
Vanessa provided us with such an example of what happens when a person says yes to that question in spite of those against them. An amazing threads-and-wigs to gowns-and-crowns life story. From making $25 a week to buy some ramen and her next wig all the way up to National Entertainer of the Year. Regardless of our own career choices, she is an inspiration to us all.