Me

reasons came from a place of love and concern for me and because they didn’t want to see me suffer, I know that everyone also had his or her own reasons and fears that I hope they will one day be free of. But in this case, I was the one who was ready to get this off my chest, because now my spiritual path had come full circle.
    I know that if I lose my balance, many other people—colleagues, friends, and family alike—will also lose their balance, and that causes a lot of fear. But this time, I knew I had to do what I needed to do and I couldn’t think about anyone else. So I ignored all their recommendations, and by the end, when they came to me with the argument that I shouldn’t do it during Easter because it might offend my Christian fans, I said: “What part of ‘I can’t take it anymore’ do you not understand? What about me? In my world, my space, my ‘reality,’ this isn’t a sin or anything I need to be ashamed of. Quite the opposite: I need to celebrate my truth!”
    Martin Luther King, Jr., once said some beautiful words that I now carry close to my heart: “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” On March 29 I decided to finally put an end to the hell that was going on inside my mind, in order to justly celebrate my rebirth. It’s about death and new life; circles are closed and new ones opened. The only thing that mattered was that I was ready to begin a new chapter of my life, and I wanted to start it as quickly as possible.
    And so, the letter was published. It is a text I am extremely proud of; every time I read it I am moved remembering everything I have faced in order to get to a point in which I could share it with the world.
    A few months ago I decided to write my memoirs, a project I knew was going to bring me closer to an amazing turning point in my life. From the moment I wrote the first phrase I was sure the book was the tool that was going to help me free myself from things I was carrying within me for a long time. Things that were too heavy for me to keep inside. Writing this account of my life, I got very close to my truth. And this is something worth celebrating.
    For many years, there has been only one place where I am in touch with my emotions fearlessly and that’s the stage. Being onstage fills my soul in many ways, almost completely. It’s my vice. The music, the lights, and the roar of the audience are elements that make me feel capable of anything. This rush of adrenaline is incredibly addictive. I don’t ever want to stop feeling these emotions. But it is serenity that brings me to where I’m at right now. An amazing emotional place of comprehension, reflection, and enlightenment. At this moment I’m feeling the same freedom I usually feel only onstage, without a doubt, I need to share.
    Many people told me: “Ricky, it’s not important,” “it’s not worth it,” “all the years you’ve worked and everything you’ve built will collapse,” “many people in the world are not ready to accept your truth, your reality, your nature.” Because all this advice came from people who I love dearly, I decided to move on with my life not sharing with the world my entire truth. Allowing myself to be seduced by fear and insecurity became a self-fulfilling prophecy of sabotage. Today I take full responsibility for my decisions and my actions.
    If someone asked me today, “Ricky, what are you afraid of?” I would answer, “The blood that runs through the streets of countries at war . . . child slavery, terrorism . . . the cynicism of some people in positions of power, the misinterpretation of faith.” But fear of my truth? Not at all! On the contrary, it fills me with strength and courage. This is just what I need especially now that I am the father of two beautiful boys that are so full of light and who with their outlook teach me new things every day. To keep living as I did up until today would be to indirectly diminish the glow that my kids were born with. Enough is enough. This has to change. This was not supposed to happen 5 or 10 years ago, it is supposed to happen now. Today is my day, this is my time, and this is my moment.
    These years in silence and reflection made me stronger and reminded me that acceptance has to come from within and that this kind of truth gives me the power to conquer emotions I didn’t even know existed.
    What will happen from now on? It doesn’t matter. I can only focus on what’s happening