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T’challa/Black Panther in Avengers Infinity War

javiermofficial: This photo is from about 2004/2005 taken during the In The Heights official workshop at 37 Arts. I was either turning 30 here or about to. Everything was beginning: living openly, confidently, bravely with HIV….starting to work consistently as a performer….both parents now in the clear as Cancer survivors….plowing away at what would become my Broadway Premiere (In The Heights & here playing Graffiti Pete @iamsethstewart lol). I chose this pic to celebrate my birthday which begins in about 15 min because this was a major turning point. All the courage, endurance, determination that it took to get to this point would only increase in the face of discrimination, cowardice from Casting/Producers prior to Heights, homophobia, and the worst of it all STIGMA. This is the point in my life where I saw the fork in the road. I could either cave or fight like hell to crush everyone and anyone who dared to make me feel like I did not deserve to be happy and fulfilled. As you can guess I chose to fight and long story short here I am.

My point in posting this is to say: DO NOT GIVE UP ON YOU. Whatever road you walk right now, in this very breath, things can change for you. Life can go in directions you never dared to dream. But you absolutely have to fight. Period. Not one damn thing is going to be handed to you. Not one thing truly worth having will be easy nor without cost. So dig deep and fight because I could have been drowned by the layers of Life but hell to the F no. Still here & kicking a$$. (Still someone you are spending time right now reading about I might add). So dig deep. 

Dig. Deep. And keep going. #birthday #reflections