Juan Acosta on ‘owning our light, our identity and our story’

Ad Age is marking Pride Month 2023 with our Honoring Creative Excellence package, in which LGBTQ+ creators revisit some of their favorite projects. (Read the introduction here.) This week, our guest editor Lisa Sherman turns the spotlight to mental health advocate Juan Acosta. Here, Acosta writes about “taking center stage to uplift my communities.”

Coming to this country at age 2 from Mexico, and arriving in Woodland, California, I, along with my family, had a whole new world to figure out. It is the experience of many immigrants—coming to a country in search of a better life. Throughout my career, I have had to learn and unlearn.

As a gay Mexican creative within the health industry, I was left to make spaces for myself in environments that oftentimes didn’t have seats for people like me. For years I was bullied, and at a young age, I was told by others who I was. My life began to change when I took my story and my identity into my own hands. I began to tell people who I was and set boundaries. The journey to self-love was a roller coaster, but one that was worth going on. Owning what made me unique and authentic made me realize how crucial it is for everyone to do the same.

Throughout my journey, I have always held my flag as a Mexican immigrant and a member of the LGBTQ+ community high. My work focus is the LGBTQ+ community and mental health. The Trevor Project reports that LGBTQ+ young people are more than four times as likely to attempt suicide than their peers. I was able to help make history in my hometown by drafting an LGBTQ+ proclamation for my hometown of Woodland that passed for the first time in the town’s history. Contributing to the proclamation was a full-circle moment because it signified change in my community. On a personal level, it was a hug to my inner child. My identity was something I used to feel ashamed of—and now I was using it to create change.

A story I wrote about my journey in drafting the LGBTQ+ proclamation was published in “Channel Kindness: Stories of Kindness and Community,” produced by Lady Gaga and other Born This Way Foundation reporters. I have been able to take my work to local, state and national stages and speak virtually to audiences in India and Germany.

Honoring the LGBTQ+ community wherever I go and speaking about the importance of attending to our mental health have been key in my work. Throughout my career, I have been able to contribute to numerous campaigns and speak at United Nations Side Events, UNICEF events and the White House. I was selected to speak at the first-ever Mental Health Youth Action Forum White House event alongside First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, Selena Gomez and U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy.

From arriving to the unknown at age 2 to taking center stage to uplift my communities with hopes of inspiring and making other LGBTQ+ creators and professionals feel seen, community is what saved my life when I was struggling. Now, as a creative professional, it is what I most cherish.

To young immigrant creators: Please do not be discouraged by the barriers we constantly face. Believe in yourself and your strength.

To young LGBTQ+ community creators, at a time when our country is making it more difficult for LGBTQ+ community members to feel affirmed: Lean on one another and build your circle with those that make you feel safe and seen.

Owning our light, our identity and our story will make us unstoppable. Let’s take the spaces that are meant for us, and unapologetically share our radical joy with the world.