During 2003 I was working towards my Bachelors degree in Psychology at SFU and I wanted to gain some volunteer experience by helping those in my community. At that time I had already met my boyfriend (now husband of eight years) and I felt pretty comfortable with expressing my own sexuality. As such, I wanted to make a difference in the lives of others who had gone through similar hardships as me. This is where my search for a volunteer opportunity led me to The Centre - now known as QMUNITY . I was young and somewhat inexperienced but I still felt empowered to share my own experiences with others and therefore I got the wonderful opportunity to co-facilitate a men's drop in group with one of my best friends. During this weekly group meetings my friend and I would encourage discussion around a specific topic by asking the participants to answer targeted questions. The group started small but after a few months it grew to twelve regular attendees. It was empowering to see ...

I am a very happy man as I type this as today is Christmas day and I have just finished opening my gifts. Santa must have read my mind this year as I got exactly what I wanted! I won't show you what I got quite yet - I want to finish this story first :) My mother in law has always been a fan of charm bracelets . I must admit that ever since I saw her Pandora one I fell in love with the endless design possibilities and the hundreds of charms one can buy to make each jewellery piece unique and timeless. At first I (like the rest of you I'm sure) assumed that only women could wear charm bracelets. I have been known to push the boundaries when it comes to wearing things that are sometimes labelled as "females only". This was the case when I bought my first bomber jacket with faux fur on the hoodie - at the time only girls were wearing this - fast forward three years and you now see men wearing them everywhere. Another good example is my previous obsession wit...

I'll be the first to admit that having grown up in Mexico City - a very Catholic and "machista" city - I never really felt comfortable playing with dolls as a kid. If I would have been caught playing with dolls at school or at a party I would have likely become a victim of social ridicule and bullying. Guys are supposed to like plastic cars, toy soldiers, monster trucks, cowboys and guns. I was always a little bit different than other boys I grew up with. I liked My Little Ponies, Care Bears , She-Ra, and yes... Barbie dolls . While I never actually openly played with dolls, I managed to steal one from one of my cousins during a sleepover weekend. It felt so wrong and yet so right. I was excited to get home to play with it. I remember hiding it underneath the washroom vanity and locking myself up to bring it out. Looking back now, I don't really know what I was so ashamed of. Society and cultural gender roles can have a big impact on the way we behave as both kid...

I must say that I have never had as much fun during gay pride events as I did this year. It all started on Friday night with an awesome street party on Davie - a Vancouver street known for supporting gay people and businesses. On Saturday I headed to the closing ceremony for the Vancouver Out Games headlined by Dragonette and the one and only Ace Of Base . I still cannot believe I got to watch AOB perform live in concert! And not only that... my friend and I were lucky enough to be able to stand right in front of the stage. A dream come true for me. Both Dragonette and AOB were AMAZING live. Today the fun continued with the now classic Pride Parade in Vancouver's West End. There were lots of cool people around and festivities going on all day long. Overall, I couldn't have asked for a better weekend. This was truly an unforgettable one!

Very inspirational video. I hope you enjoy it. I'm happy to be able to live in a world in which we can make a difference from across the globe. 

About a month ago my husband 's grandmother passed away very suddenly and whether I like to admit it or not, her death changed how I view life in a few ways. Grandma Del was the most vibrant and energetic eighty year old one could ever met. She worked out regularly, dressed to the nines, and could even be reached via e-mail - needless to say I would have never expected for her to leave us so quickly. Last night, my mother was admitted to the emergency ward as her right arm kept hurting terribly - with Grandma's passing being so recent the only thing on my mind was a heart attack... Thank God, after many hours at the hospital she was told it was not heart-related and that it was due to some sort of inflammation. Both of these life events have made me realize that we must cherish those we love on a daily basis and that even though things may seem perfectly fine today, nobody knows what tomorrow may bring. Also, by having been more analytic of my own life and the life of thos...

I created this video to share my positive experiences as an openly gay married man living in Vancouver, Canada . I would like this to serve as an inspiration for those LGTB individuals across the world who are currently struggling due to their sexuality. Don't give up! It gets much better :) For more information and other great videos please visit: http://www.youtube.com/user/itgetsbetterproject http://www.facebook.com/pages/It-Gets-Better-Project/158071744210603