I met Mikey in Spanish class at college and then got closer to him when I started dating his room mate (my now husband).

How would I describe Mikey? Outgoing, passionate, hilarious, and overwhelmingly compassionate. He is always concerned about everyone around him, always taking interest in his friends, and always making everyone laugh. I’ll never forget showing him my ring after my husband proposed. He literally rocked back and forth saying “Oh my gosh!” with a smile bigger than my own. He was genuinely and completely happy for me, and I’ve never seen someone that invested in other people the way Mikey is.

So it didn’t surprise me when Mikey began this blog titled “Being out is in” and revealed such candor, such love, and such honesty. After years of keeping it hidden to the point where he teetered on the verge of suicide and melted into sleepless nights of depression and self-loathing, he finally decided to tell the world his struggle. That he’s a gay man living faithfully in the LDS church.

I couldn’t help but share his blog with all of you. He is sharing his story in installments, starting at the time he first discovered he felt differently as a little boy to the moments where he had to come to terms with how to carry on as a grown man.

As a member of the LDS church I stand in awe of the young men and women (and even some older men and women) who bravely share their stories, their struggles, their trials, and their triumphs. I find myself admiring those who live a life battling mental illness, turmoil, disability, loss–all of the things that have the power to stop someone in their very tracks–and who keep going despite it all. Despite the pain, the frustrations, the loneliness–Christ comes first.

It reminds me of a quote from an incredible author:

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

I want to be more like that. I strive to have that kind of courage.

I recommend giving his blog a read and a follow!

>>Being out is in<<