Me

to me in this moment. The word “happiness” takes on a new meaning for me as of today. It has been a very intense process. Every word that I write in this letter is born out of love, acceptance, detachment, and real contentment. Writing this is a solid step toward my inner peace and vital part of my evolution.
    I am proud to say that I am a fortunate homosexual man. I am very blessed to be who I am.
    RM
    When I pressed SEND, I immediately closed the computer and went to my room to take a nap, supposedly. I closed my eyes for about half an hour, maybe forty minutes, but the curiosity killed the cat. Since I didn’t want to get back on the computer right away, I called a friend who already knew what I was going to do, and I asked her to go into my Twitter account and tell me what people were saying. She said to me, “Kiki . . . it’s pure love. There have been two, three, and four hundred comments—not one of them negative.” Of course, there were one or two people who simply didn’t get it, but generally speaking, the love I received was immediate and overwhelming. Even though deep down I didn’t think anything bad was going to happen, the avalanche of love I received that day was a complete surprise. The next week my album sales even went up. Not only was I not being rejected by anybody; for all intents and purposes it looked like they loved me even more now! So all that fear I had, the fear that many people have when they come out, was only in my mind. I know this might not be the case for other people who decide to come out of the closet—I know some people encounter all the pain and suffering of rejection—but I will say that my own experience was only positive and empowering.
    My family and circle of closest friends, who had already known my truth for many years, offered me their unconditional support. My father was very happy when I told him what I was going to do, as he had wanted me to do this for years, because he wanted me to free myself in order to live peacefully and openly, but he knew I had to find my moment, and he therefore supported me throughout the process until I was ready. My mother was also very happy, but the way I told her was a bit unusual.
    That day, my mother was flying from Puerto Rico to Miami. I always felt that I didn’t want to send the letter when she was in Puerto Rico, because like all mothers, she would worry about her son. Also, I didn’t want her to be there, by herself, getting calls from everyone she knows. For the announcement, and so that she wouldn’t worry, I wanted her to be here with me so she could see that her son and grandkids were all fine. So I waited until she had boarded the plane, where she would have no access to her cell phone or the Internet. When she arrived in Miami, she was picked up by one of my representatives, and the first thing they did was take her cell phone away so that she couldn’t take any calls. She was dropped off at my house, and there I gave her a hug and sat her in front of the computer and had her read the letter I had just sent. As soon as she finished reading it, she stood up, gave me a great big hug, and started to cry like a baby.

A GIFT THAT LIFE GIVES ME
    IT WAS AN incredible experience. Today I feel strong, happy, and free. It makes me happy to think that many of my fears—not to say all of them—were imagined or imaginary. It goes without saying that there are people out there who make negative comments and who don’t understand what it’s about, but I see those people as people who still have to grow and evolve, and I am nobody to judge them. Just as it took me a long time to accept my reality and accept myself, they too have yet to go through their process of acceptance and comprehension.
    Someone once asked me, “When did you decide you were going to be a homosexual?” I answered, “I never decided to become anything. I simply am who I am”; then I added: “When did you decide to become a heterosexual?” Needless to say, that question went unanswered. . . .
    I’m not out to change anyone’s way of thinking. I am simply sharing my own experience. There might be some people who will stop liking me because they will think that until now I have not been completely sincere. Maybe others will begin to listen to and enjoy my music, now that they know who I really am. But I believe that whether they like me or not, they should do it while being aware of my whole truth. If they hate me, let it be for who I am,