Matapos ang Instagram post ni Raymond Gutierrez nitong Linggo kung saan ay opisyal siyang nag-come out bilang kasapi ng LGBTQ community sa isang magazine cover, idinetalye ng celebrity host ang mga narasanang niyang hirap bago matanggap ang sarili.
“I was never not out. I never denied who I was. I just never shared my story publicly until now,” paglilinaw ni Raymond sa bagong Instagram post.
Hindi raw naging madali para sa kanya ang pagharap sa tunay niyang pagkatao. Umabot pa ito sa ilang panahong pati siya’y nagalit sa kanyang sarili.
“Growing up, it took a while for me to face my true identity, and figuring it out wasn’t easy. I went through a long period of time hating myself because society taught me that being different wasn’t the right path, especially for someone growing up in the public eye. I went through a dark phase of self-destruction—creating unhealthy habits to have some sort of escape so I didn’t have to face my reality. I kept things to myself because I was scared to bring shame to my family, and didn’t know how others would treat me,” dagdag ni Raymond.
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Nagpasalamat ang celebrity host sa kanyang mga kaibigan at kapamilya na patuloy na nagbibigay ng kumpiyansa para lalo pa niyang yakapin ang sarili. Mapalad pa rin daw siya para magkaroon ng “support system”.
“I’m thankful to those close to me - my friends and family for giving me the confidence to embrace myself fully without judgement. I consider myself lucky because some people don’t have a support system they can run to. Which is exactly why I’m sharing my story now. Because if there’s one thing I learned this past year and a half is that life is fleeting. I want to encourage those who feel alone that it’s never too late to love yourself, acknowledge those feelings and face your fears —- because it feels damn good to be on the other side," paghihikayat ni Raymond.
Sa huli, binigyang diin ni Raymond na hindi dapat hadlang ang sekswalidad ng tao sa pag-abot ng kanyang kadakilaan.
“Sexuality shouldn’t define who you are and it should never hinder your greatness. For me personally, being in touch with my masculine and feminine side allowed me to push boundaries creatively and create magic with the projects I do. So to those saying “we knew”, you never knew my story and my struggles. And if you’re reading this and you feel like you’re alone, I want to let you know that I went through the same things - you will be loved, your feelings are valid, and those who truly love you will stick around,”pagtatapos ni Raymond sa kanyang post.
