Photo courtesy of Big Hustle PR.
All Good Records founder GriZ came out yesterday in a moving essay for Huffington Post about the painful process of becoming comfortable with his sexuality. The piece describes the challenges of growing up gay while being surrounded by homophobia—in his immediate surroundings as well as in popular culture—and the struggle of embracing who he was instead of resenting it.The American producer explains how his personal journey has involved grappling with mental health issues and feelings of intense alienation, but the piece ends on a positive note, encouraging people in the closet to be proud of who they are: "If at this point you are telling yourself this sounds even mildly familiar, and you have so perfectly and with great pain kept your secret to yourself, I have one thing to tell you. It gets better.""This is that leap of faith moment," he wrote. "You just have to go for it. I was surprised how supportive my family and friends were in my coming out and it gave and still gives me hope. I believe in the goodness of people. Yes, there is a lot of negativity and hate. Instead of giving into that fear and sadness, we need to shine. Shine so brightly that it inspires your community to do the same. It won't always be easy, but the battle is worth it. Never ever give up on yourself. It might not be cool to love Britney Spears, study AP physics or play saxophone but, it's totally cool to be gay. "GriZ released his fifth album Good Will Prevail last year.
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