I wasn&`&t born in this country, I didn&`&t grow up in any one particular religion, I have a mixed race background, and I&`&m gay. Really, it&`&s just your typical, All-American boy next door.
It has been natural to see myself as an individual, it&`&s been a challenge to imagine that self as part of something larger. Like many of you here tonight, I grew up in what I would call "survival mode." When you are in survival mode, your focus is on getting through the day in one piece. And when you are in that mode at [age] five, at 10, at 15, there isn&`&t a lot of space for words like "community," for words like "us" and "we." There is only space for "I" and "me."