This episode is Part 2 of a 2-part series: LGBTQ Representation. Part one laid out the history of Queer Representation in cinema. This episode follows up by chronicling Dominick's personal experience as a gay man in the context of Tolerance, Diversity & Inclusion and Media Representation. Together, both episodes are meant to lay the groundwork for future conversations with guests equally invested in LGBTQ Representation.
           
Sharing a Reader's Digest version of his coming out essay, Jesus Shoes, Dominick takes us back to 1968, when he arrived on the planet. Despite being the peak of the Sexual Revolution, things were more backward than one might think. Derogatory terms like 'gay' and 'fag' rolled off tongues effortlessly; 'gay' was the opposite of 'cool.' Dominick threw those terms around as much or more than his elementary school-aged friends— until the moment he realized they applied to him.
            
Somehow, despite that innate self-acceptance, society's negative messaging somehow 'got in' over time. The essay goes on to dissect the mechanics by which that occurs— how self-love can be eroded by exposure to negative stereotypes, tropes, and even rhetoric or innuendo. Despite his best efforts, Dominick found himself fulfilling a cultural narrative by becoming exactly what was described in that Freudian book forty years earlier, in the form of a full-blown AIDS diagnosis. Dominick's 56-year (& counting) arc is the prime example of the power of persistent narratives to manifest as reality. And our personal power to reframe those narratives. In the spirit of this podcast, we have the free will to 'tell our own stories.' This episode concludes with Dominick's journey toward reclaiming his agency in the world through self-love. It's sure to inspire!

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Now more than ever, it’s tempting to throw our hands in the air and surrender to futility in the face of global strife. Storytellers know we must renew hope daily. We are being called upon to embrace our interconnectivity, transform paradigms, and trust the ripple effect will play its part. In the words of Lion King producer Don Hahn (Episode 8), “Telling stories is one of the most important professions out there right now.” We here at Language of the Soul Podcast could not agree more.

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