I bet you didn't know I've been in a pageant. But not the kind you're probably thinking of. I've never strut around in a bikini and heels, or shown off some obscure talent, or publicly declared my desire for world peace. No, I've never been in that kind of pageant.
My life has been a pageant of a different kind. One in which I've been crowned all sorts of things other than Miss America. I've worn banners draped across my chest that read:
Or how about:
I've walked around wearing those banners for far too long. They've shaped how others see me and, more importantly, how I see myself.
It's time to take them off and replace them with truth.