The Daily Aztec 4/28/2021

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Wednesday, April 28 - Tuesday, May 4 Weekly Digital Edition

Vol. 107, Issue 24 www.thedailyaztec.com

San Diego State University’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1913

Graphic by Emily Burgess

Jason Santos: sharing his story and celebrating LGBTQ+ pride by

Aleah Jarin

SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Kinesiology third-year Jason Santos, (he/him), woke up one morning ready to step into his true, authentic self on March 6, 2016. Santos didn’t know what clicked in his mind or heart that day, but all he knew was, “I’m just ready to be myself.” Santos, a member of the LGBTQ+ community who identifies as a gay male, experienced challenges leading up to the moment he came out. From a young age Santos knew of his true identity, however, growing up in a military and religious household with Filipino parents led him to suppress and hide his feelings.

“It’s even more magnified because of the Filipino culture as they have this old, traditional mindset of, ‘Oh your son can’t be gay, it’s just not supposed to be that way,’” Santos said. Santos didn’t fully come to terms with his identity until his first year of college when he and his family moved from Florida to California. In college, Santos began to be around more open-minded and loving people, similar to him, causing him to open up and accept his true identity. “I took it little by little, I told my friends and it was so nerve-wracking because they’re my best friends,” Santos said. “Deep in my mind I was

like, ‘No matter what they’re still going to love you because they probably know,’ and it’s funny because when I did tell them, that’s exactly what happened. They knew, but they were just waiting for me and wanted to respect my space.” The following year, in 2017, Santos’ “Ate” or older sister, came up to him at a family wedding to address how she and all his cousins already knew of his identity. “She winked at me and said, ‘Just know, we all know. We’re just waiting for you,’ and so that sparked me to tell my extended family,” Santos said. Santos’ cousins and friends know him best,

much all over the world however, he’s still trying being in a military houseto get to a point where he hold, but I basically spent can communicate his true all of high school in Florifeelings to his parents. da which is a very conser“When it comes to my vative state. I had a lot of parents it’s definitely still something that’s hard for friends, but every now and then you would run into me.They’re in denial about small-minded people in it because they grew up in the hallways or class who such a different life back in would say remarks here the Philippines...but I feel and there,” Santos said. like when I graduate next “I guess that’s what fuyear I’ll tell them straight up and whatever happens, eled me to be more confident with myself because happens,” Santos said. if they’re so bothered with However, Santos isn’t how I am, why should I let letting this challenge with that affect me?” Santos said. his parents stand in his way. He continues to ra- “I don’t want these hateful, diate confidence and posi- close-minded people to tive energy, which is some- win. I want to be truly mything that developed from self in every aspect and as the way he was treated in long as I’m spreading positivity around me, that’s all high school. “I got to grow up pretty see ONLINE


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