| | | Everything changed in a single day. Cristian Davila remembers it perfectly. | |  | | | “I was 26 years old and had a girlfriend when I met a guy and the way was opened for me to express my true self. I was a little confused at first, but I knew inside that, sooner or later, I would have to face it. That guy, a little more aware than I was, perhaps, told my friends.
Normally, one has the stigma that people will discriminate against you, they’ll stop talking to you. But in reality we are underestimating the level of tolerance of a large part of society, because the opposite happened. My friends kept their arms open and accepted me as I am, and none of them changed with me.
How did I feel? Liberated. It was a weight off my shoulders, and what a weight! Imagine always living behind a mask. You’re never really yourself until you have the courage to say who you are. The support of my friends was and still is 100 percent.
Luckily, I have never felt discriminated against, even though I haven’t told my family. My parents are elderly and very Catholic, but I’m fine with it.
In Cusco, where I live, there are two marked social differences in respect to the LGBTQIA community. On one hand, we have a very traditional, macho part of the community that still rejects us and prefers not to know. Their most tolerant idea of a gay man might be their hair stylist, but they never conceive of us as wearing a coat and tie or running a business. Thanks to living in such a tourist area, especially in the city, we also find a group of people with a more open mind. Besides, there’s a lot of gay tourism so you can't give the image of a society that discriminates.
Over the years, we've seen how the new generations are more tolerant. Today, people come out of the closet at a younger age. I think much of the intolerance that still exists is due to a lack of information but, unfortunately, there are authorities, political or religious groups that misinform, making people believe that we live in sin or that we have a mental problem. It's just a matter of time. Everything depends on the quality of education and information that we share.”
Cristian “came out” for personal reasons—because he needed to live his own truth. But he is also an example for others. We can only hope that his honesty and bravery help pave the way for a society in which respect, openness, kindness, and love are our highest ideals. | | | | | | 25% of sales from Cristian’s items will be donated to one of Cristian’s favorite charities, Presente, a Peruvian NGO that supports LGBTQIA rights. | |  | | | | |
