I Have Nothing To Hide

So I got a text from my aunt and it read thusly...

Hello!

I spoke to Aunt ____ and she told me about the beautiful picture that you sent and how you the older you get the prettier you become!! Your mom told me to research your name to see your dissertation and I didn't find it! I found your pin interest  post.

It does not reveal to the world that you are in Med School or that you have a PhD. The one thing that we tell our students that your social media accounts will follow you and could possibly cause you more harm than good. Heterosexuals do not advertise and neither should you. Your private life is private. No one is judging you. You were created in God's image and you are loved by the most high God and your family. Remove the post. Don't ruin your future by " bitting off your hand to spite your face". Don't let jealousy  or a need to prove who you are get in the way of all that you have accomplished or your destiny. You are "Dr. ____________, MD., PhD." That's it. I don't think your father or mother have seen that post, and I don't think they should. You were wonderfully created with so much intelligence, talent and beauty. Don't allow that post and others to ruin what you alone have worked so hard to bring to fruition! If you want to talk, I am hear to listen. I love you with the love of Christ. 

First off the board on Pinterest is called "One Day She'll Say Yes." And yes the she is the she I've been writing about for years. Yup...totally not the point. The point is its all stuff like wedding invitation ideas and flower arrangements. All 9 posts are purple and girly and totally me. 
There's no advertisement of my personal life. 
Its a board on Pinterest. 
And also, God willing, I'll have a wife and then my personal life will be "on display" for all to see or do you think I'm going to lie and say she's my roommate? Or that she's my bestie? 
Nope. I don't have roommates and my besties are married to men. 
My personal life will be on display as soon as I'm serious about someone so....that dog won't hunt.

You know what she failed to mention that my Pinterest also tells you? I'm southern, purple is my favorite color, I loved Olivia Pope's wardrobe, I want to have a house and do yard work and stuff, and I like food. 

Why in God's name would my Pinterest tell you I have a PhD? Ever think that my PhD is what I do and not who I am. I AM smart but I HAVE a PhD. It's a possession I value highly but I have it. Pinterest is about ideas for things you want to do. I've done the PhD. No board needed.

Pinterest is also about things that interest me. I spend all day doing science related things that interest me. I'm not making a board for my job. I'm making a board about things that interest me outside of work. 

Additionally, how in the world would someone finding out I'm gay ruin my future? You know who knows I'm gay? 
Let's see.... 
My life mentor
 My PhD advisor
 My PhD committee
The faculty of the School of Pharmacy at Nebraska
The MDs that cloaked me for White Coat Ceremony
The faculty of the Pharmaceutical Science Department at UNC
My Council of Trusted Advisors
My pastor
My classmates
My Sports Medicine Mentor
The Deans at my medical school 

And guess what? 

I still got my PhD
My mentors are still my mentors
My Council is intact
I still got cloaked with great enthusiasm by those MDs
I still work closely with my Sports Med mentor
I'm still on the Curriculum Committee (most powerful committee at my medical school) 
I was voted onto this committee to represent my class BY my classmates 
I'm also giving two talks at UNC to underrepresented minorities about how to navigate getting a PhD in a majority Ivory Tower 

The way I love doesn't invalidate my experience or what I have to offer. People in power and those without have decided that I have something valuable to add and that my love life is a part of me. Who I will marry is a huge part of my life and my future but its not all of me.  If someone wants to disqualify me from anything for who I love, then I don't want to be a part of whatever they were going to offer me before they found out who I am.

My destiny? 
That's in God's hands. I'm not concerned about that at all. I think my destiny is going to be awesome in part because God did this really cool thing in making me same gender loving. Don't worry. 
God's got this and me! 
I'll be just fine.

Oh and the post stays.

Because one day, everyone will see and I'll be prouder than ever to say 

"This is who my soul loves."