How dressing in drag set me free

This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. When Eric came out of the closet as a gay man and again as a drag queen, he simply opened a door. What he thought were identities he soon realised were, in reality, masks he wore in order to leave his closet and face a cruel world that had put him there in the first place. When those masks came off, he was left with the same fear, shame, and isolation he had always felt. Which left him with a choice — either accept himself without the masks and labels, or live with the reality that these masks were, in fact, wearing him. Once he decided to leave the closet without any masks and labels, he came to a powerful realisation. He was no longer stepping into his perception of a cruel world that demanded he remain in a closet; he was stepping into his life — one that had been waiting for him all along and in which he fully belonged.

Eric was born and raised in San Antonio, where he currently lives and works. He has been a drag entertainer for three years and currently works with many non-profit communities as an entertainer and fundraiser. In 2013 and 2014 he was voted one of the “Top 3 Drag Entertainers “of San Antonio in San Antonio Current. He currently volunteers with the Eating Disorder Centre of San Antonio, working in NEISD schools to promote healthy body image and anti-bullying. In his professional life, he works as a wine steward at Max’s Wine Dive. In 2012 and 2013 he was voted one of the “Top 3 Servers” of San Antonio in San Antonio Current. He is currently enrolled in school where he studies Social Work.