10 years ago when, I was 20 years old, I came out of the closet as a gay man. Before, during and after that point, journaling has been one of my best methods of therapy. What I share here is a compilation of those entries & my memories of the good, bad and ugly of the past 10 years, with my best deductions of what it all meant.

Representation is so important. To all those who’ve been brave enough to share their stories before me, the words thank you will never be enough. They helped me immensely when I was struggling to find myself. To all of you out there struggling to find yourself - my hope for these columns is that they serve as a small light in the dark closet you may be living in now. One day, whenever you are ready, I hope you find the courage to grab the handle of that door and swing it open. While the journey for me has certainly not been easy, I can say that the world outside that door is bright, and it's only getting brighter. In the words of the OG Oprah Winfrey, that is “what I know for sure”. For now, just know that you are not alone, and that it will get better. 

Writing For Hope is a “connecting of the dots” of 3 of the loves of my life: writing, cooking & drinking wine. They have helped carry me through some dark times (the wine, usually in moderation :), and I use them now in the hope of doing some good. The words you read are free, but in the spirit of paying it forward, I hope that you read my columns with a glass of ONEHOPE wine in your hand, and enjoying a dish I’ve worked on from @cookingforone1 or #CookingForONEHOPE. I’ll release the pairing 1 week before each column drops, so you have just enough time to order your wine and cook the recipe. 10% of your purchase of ONEHOPE wine from my shop will be donated to The Trevor Project. TTP is a non profit that focuses on suicide prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning youth. 

With love & hope,

Dan

–Acceptance from at least one adult can decrease the risk of LGBTQ youth attempting suicide by 40%.