“I changed my name and perfected my accent. No one knew about my past. I exercised, dieted, tanned, toned, concealed, and accentuated—all for attention. Then I noticed muscle weakness. At that moment, I knew.”
‘I was called a ‘big-nosed Jew.’ I NEEDED to fit in. When I got my diagnosis, I was in denial. My disability was the first thing people saw.’: Woman with muscular dystrophy finds self-acceptance, ‘I’m unapologetically me’
‘My extreme ‘healthy eating’ convinced me drinking milk was ‘treating myself.’ I’d go to bed happy with a 500-calorie deficit.’: Young woman battling orthorexia details journey to self-love
“I was constantly told, ‘You’re so dedicated.’ ‘I wish I had your willpower.’ I wore these compliments with pride thinking, ‘If only I could have more self-control, all of my problems will be fixed.'”
‘If you tell anyone about this, you won’t live.’ I was determined to break the generational curses and trauma. Survival mode kicked in.’: Abuse survivor shares journey to healing and self-love
“At 3 years old, I was forced to drink raw eggs and smoke half of a cigarette by my mom’s boyfriend. The court system failed me. At 19, I became homeless. I tried to leave my relationship but found myself fighting an uphill battle. By the time I had my second daughter, I knew I needed to find a way out.”
‘You are biologically a female.’ I couldn’t stop life and become a woman. I’d devastate my wife and kids.’: Intersex trans woman shares self-love journey, ‘For the first time I’m PROUD of who I am’
“With every new life accomplishment, my wife has always stuck by my side.”
‘If you had autism, you’d be a unicorn.’ My social life was thriving, but I was a mess on the inside. I hated not being myself.’: Woman shares autism diagnosis journey, ‘My differences are a gift’
“I was told I was special or unique. I was the center of attention, and not in a good way. From the clothes I wore to the things I said, everything was wrong. I couldn’t fit in with the ‘normal’ people.”
13-Year-Old Intersex Girl Given Up For Adoption, Accused Of Having ‘Demon’ Inside Her
“At night I would pray to God, ‘Please make me a normal girl in my next life.’ All I could see ahead of me was conversion therapy. Now, I’m finally in a safe place where I am loved unconditionally for myself.”
‘I asked God, ‘Why me? What did I do wrong?’ I didn’t think I was ‘good enough’ to have a normal hand.’: Woman shares limb difference acceptance journey, ‘Share your difference’
“I didn’t show my hand on social media. People wouldn’t like me if they saw it. I went on a date, and he saw my hand. ‘I was born like this.’ He left and stopped talking to me. I knew then I didn’t want to hide it anymore.”
‘If I can’t have sex with my partner, I’m not staying with them.’ It hurt to hear these things from people who claimed to love me.’: Asexual woman shares journey to self acceptance, ‘We deserve the space to exist without question’
“At the party, someone prompted each of us to go around and share how we identified. ‘Gay, Bi, Lesbian, etc.,’ then it came to me. ‘Asexual.’ ‘Oh, you’re the one who’s asexual!’ another friend said. I exclaimed, ‘Yup!’ From there, I continued down the rabbit hole of what asexuality was.”
‘Ew, what are those?’ I was ashamed of myself. I constantly tried to hide my scars. What was I doing wrong?’: Woman shares struggles with keloid scars, ‘They’re my beauty marks’
“Right after brushing my teeth, I put on a bunch of toothpaste all over my face, chest, and back. I was a minty mess. I hid in high cut shirts and makeup. Anxiety became my best friend.”
‘Are you living an alternative lifestyle?’ I was PHYSICALLY thrown out of my house at 2 a.m. by my mom. It took losing everything to gain the life I have now.’: Woman disfellowshipped after coming out, ‘Love won when my wife and I said our vows’
“In high school, I lied to myself about Dana. My freshman year in college, I lied to myself about my friend Ashley. My parents reported me. When the committee asked me about my ‘alternative lifestyle,’ I finally told the truth.”
