Community Stories: Lydia Fisher

I’m happy to see LGBTQIA storytelling as a part of the 21-Day Equity Challenge. I know personally how freeing it can be to be when you decide to live and share your truth.

I came out at 22 after lying to myself and others for years about my sexuality. I was scared to death I would lose my family and friends in the process because of my strict religious upbringing. When I say strict, I mean strict! When I walked into my mother’s funeral, I was told “I’m surprised you didn’t get struck by lightning.”

Fast forward to today and now my wife and I have been together for 13 years (married for 6). It took a while but most of my family has come around. I was patient because I knew what I was asking them to understand. I offered them grace when they said negative things because I had already said a lot of those things about myself before I really understood that there was nothing wrong with me being exactly who God created me to be.

My wife and I have an amazing six-year-old son who’s entering school and learning to navigate the world with our unique family. I’m proud of how he responds to questions from others, and I believe the more we can all share our truths and learn about others, the better the future will be for him.

That’s a lot of the reason I wanted to get into the healthcare industry – to ensure better representation. And to stand up for people who can’t stand up for themselves. Everyone – no matter who they are or who they love – just wants to be respected as human. We aren’t all the same but that’s what makes us awesome.

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