Thanks, Janice. For once in my life, I can confidently say that I do love myself and no longer suffer from the shame I once did. Still, I think it's important to write about topics as such to educate and inform those who may not understand the harm in their words. I've also appreciated the conversations this article has started with those who can relate. Perhaps some of them feel less alone hearing my story.

Humans will always be humans, but there are a lot of humans aiming to be better. So, I hope some of those humans read this and can learn from my experience and the others shared here.