People who are HIV positive certainly don`t have much of a voice and so, in playing Ben, I love getting to be the mouthpiece for a lot of people who are otherwise voiceless.

I have definitely started to focus on spirituality in my life a lot, and that`s something that I love.

Gandhi said, `Be the change you wish to see in the world," and so I guess I`m being the change that I wish to see.

Freedom is my big buzzword in life. It`s just my favorite word. And I think so many of my choices have been about gaining freedom.

I think as a kid I wasn`t even aware of the extent to which my freedom was being infringed upon. We`re conditioned not even to know that we`re not free. When you think about what we all believe America to be, it just seems ludicrous that so much of America`s populace lives in this sort of prison. I think coming out for me is really about tearing down the prison wall.

For me, the litmus test to know whether or not I`m doing the right thing is to examine whether my decisions are love-based or fear-based. I think outing people is fear based, the fear that if we don`t out them, it will make things harder for all of us. It`s important to treat people with love. How would you treat your own kid? Would you whip him out of the closet, or would you sit down with him, talk, hug and help him come out on his own?

A friend of mine says, "In God`s world there are no mistakes, only lessons." So I`m coming out exactly when I`m supposed to.

Gandhi said, `Be the change you wish to see in the world," and so I guess I`m being the change that I wish to see. ~~~~

I`m really happy now. I`m constantly amazed by what`s possible. It`s only begun.