LGBT community is surviving after years of persecution. It has been treated with shame, and suppression for centuries.
Member of the Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender community center in Los Angeles Maria Martinez said, “I was born like this. I am not ashamed, but at first, many people made me feel like I was weird. When I told my friends about being Lesbian, I found out that I don’t have many true friends.”
She suffered bullying from many people that she though were her friends. “the person that I thought was my best friend was the one who started bullying me.
“I was afraid to tell my parents because my family is a really traditional Mexican family. It is very conservative. They are not ‘open-minded’ to accept me.”
After years of suffering bullying from other people, she found out the Los Angeles LGBT community center. There she found others who treated her as an equal.
” I am very happy to find this center because they help me to understand that being Lesbian is alright. I don’t have to pretend to be someone else.”
Luis Rodriguez is also part of the Los Angeles LGBT community center.
He states, “when I was little I always felt different. I don’t know how to explained, but I wasn’t interested in the same things like my brother.”
The LGBT community has one battle in common it fights for respect and equal rights.
Both Martinez and Rodriguez agree on one thing, “I did not decide to be born like this, but I have decided to fight for my rights and the respect of others.”
The center helped both to reconstruct their self-esteem because they were low esteem because of all the bullied that they receive.
The therapy helped to accept themselves just like they really are. Martinez agrees, “at some point in my like I really feel ashamed of myself because I thought that I was my parents’ shame because I was not like my parents want. I try to be like my brother. I started to do the same, but it did not make me happy.”
Also they receive advises of how to talk with their families and understand them, too. The said that they also win a new family and they are very happy to be part of the LGBT center of Los Angeles. Rodriguez express, ” I am glad to be part of the Los Angeles Center because now I know who I am, and also have truth friends. My parents accepted me exactly like I am because they love me.
Community United 