As a sexually fluid deaf man, I know that embracing all our identities is the way to thrive and to overcome the limitations and prejudices that surround us.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
Own your identity. Love who you are in the world. Love your deafness.
Living the life I have lived - being raised by deaf parents, assimilating to a different culture, and the challenges I have faced over time - has given me insight to the fact that each person has their own complex, intricate story, and it's rarely what I suspect it is. We must have compassion and grace for each other. We must.
Since I knew my deaf identity since birth, it wasn't hard for me to be comfortable, confident, and independent in a hearing world.
Often in the past, when we have had a deaf person in the spotlight, we have been portrayed badly. It was up to me to change that.
Differences among deaf people are okay, but we need to recognize those differences and work together.
I like to say that the greatest handicap of deafness does not lie in the ear, it lies in the mind. I hope that through my example, such as my role on 'The West Wing,' I can help change attitudes on deafness and prove we can really do everything... except hear.
I started to realize that there are a lot of people who are unaware of deaf culture, and I've been given a great platform to reframe the deaf community.
We have our own culture, our own community. A lot of people don't realize that. They just assume that deaf people are very unfortunate, very disabled, but no.
If I'd been born into a hearing family and went to a public school, I would have probably felt much more isolated, and being deaf would have become my identity.
In the deaf community, in order to play a role of someone with a hearing loss... you have to have hearing loss.
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