“There’s a Rainbow in All of Us” by Lisa Donato

A timeline by Lisa Donato:

30 years ago,
I had a dream to be a film director.
27 years ago,
I fell in love with a girl in my Christian rap group.
25 years ago,
Church leaders spoke in tongues and tried to expel the ‘devil’ inside me.
20 years ago,
A high school advisor told me that pursuing art was irresponsible.
18 years ago,
I started dating a woman from my sorority and we spent four of eight years in the closet.
16 years ago,
I struggled with internal homophobia and contemplated suicide. (Daily.)
12 years ago,
I played it safe and went to work in a corporate America marketing cube farm.
10 years ago,
I fell in love with a woman who was proud to be a lesbian. (We’re still together.)
8 years ago,
I marched on Capital Hill and fought for LGBT equality with the Senate and House of Representatives.
4 years ago,
I finally had the courage to leave my job in pursuit of a dream.
2 years ago,
I made my first film.
1 year ago,
I screened my film at the legendary Castro Theatre two days after same-sex marriage became legal.
Today,
I realize that nothing fulfilling can come from shame.