Matt Joseph Diaz

Whether it’s your ethnicity, your religion, your sexuality, you do not deserve to be loved in spite of who you are — you deserve to be loved for who you are. Those things are a part of you, and they shouldn’t be swept under the rug or pushed to the side so someone can pick and choose the things they like about you.

Vulnerability is a sign of strength, not weakness, and those who see being open and sincere as symbols of fragility have a skewed idea of vulnerability. It takes NO strength to close yourself off from the world — to refuse to be who you are because you’re afraid of the reaction of those around you. Feeling deeply and openly, even in the face of resistance, is what takes true strength.

I know, it's Monday. BLECH. But, that also means it's time for #MondaysWithMatt.

I promise you, people living with depression are acutely aware that things probably aren’t as bad as they could be.

As much as you want to believe people are all the same, we don’t have the luxury of being seen as the “default” in the same way white, straight, cis people often are. We don’t have the luxury of dismissing our painful history and systemic issues for the sake of everyone getting along, because we’re still in the middle of them.

This week, Matt talks about fear. What happens when the worst thing you can imagine happening, actually happens?

These days, I’m gentler with people than I’ve ever been. I’ve learned of the beauty and strength in each and every person regardless of where they come from or what they’ve been through — and with every interaction, I understand more why Mike saw the best in people.

This week, Matt kicks off our Conversation series on coming out with his own story.

This week: Find what fuels you, and don't beat yourself up if what's fueling you right now is "surviving."

You are not where you're from, and you are not your environment.