QUESTION

I live in a small town and don't know any other gay people at my school. I know I want to come out, because I want to encourage other people to come out too, but I also know that I'm going to catch some bullying for it. I've made peace with that, but I was wondering how do you deal with ignorant people and not let it bother you? I want to set a good example but I wanna know how to protect my mental health too.

Answer

First of all, I just want to say that I admire how brave you are, how courageous. And I really admire that you're wanting to live your truth who you are.

But at the same time, you want to open doors for others. Unfortunately, bullying is a reality. But when you have great resources, safety and a support system, those are the things you lean on.

Something that really helped me personally, especially with dealing with not-so-nice people is we can only give what we have. So if I have respect for myself, I can truly respect another person. And when people don't say the nicest things to you, those are their projections that they're putting onto you of what they think of themselves.

And so just having that great discernment or that level of self awareness has nothing to do with you. And for me, having that type of mindset is very liberating. And, so I just want to send you a lot of love and light on your journey.

I just wish you the best, and I'm really proud of you. I see you, I hear you. Peace.

Irene Crowchild
She/Her

is the first Indigenous woman to compete & win the Canadian Long Drive Championship (2018, 2020).