PRIDE at AbsoluteCare

by Lauren Cutruzzula, National Director of Marketing

“So, tell me about your life kid.”

I will never forget that day. It was December 23, 2008—the day I came out to my parents, the day my dad asked me about the tremendous weight I carried around for most of my life, which was also the day that weight began to melt away.

I knew from a very young age that I was different, that I saw things through a different lens. But when you’re in first grade, growing up in the early 90s, in a time when the word “gay” was used in the most derogatory way, in a middle-class, blue-collar town, there was no way I could even begin to explore the journey I would inevitably embark on.

From late high school into college, I was filled with perpetual anxiety. It lived with me like the dull hum of a window air conditioning unit. I fell in love for the first time, had my heart broken for the first time, and met some of the most amazing people, many of whom still are in my life today. I felt a part of something so much bigger than myself.

I slowly began to feel more and more comfortable letting people into my world; in reality, I was entering their world as the real me.

When you come out, it’s not just one time: you come out to your closest friends, your family, your extended family, your coworkers, your kids’ teachers. It’s a lifetime of feeling comfortable enough in your own being to share your story over and over and over again.

As we kick off Pride Month, I want to remind everyone that words matter, actions matter, and being an ally matters.

I am so thankful that AbsoluteCare offers me the space to bring my whole self to work, a place where I can feel safe—and proud—to be myself.

Happy PRIDE.