Life coach Dakri Brown presented Intersection of Sexual Orientation, Race and Religion Nov. 11 on South Campus to a group of 40 students.

Brown shared his story of accepting himself as being gay. He said he grew up in Addison in a Christian-oriented family with parents who were ordained ministers.

He spent 19 years of his adult life involved in church since he also became an ordained minister. But he was seeking a way to change his sexual preference as he found himself blaming religion, race and anything else for being gay.

Throughout this journey, Brown said he found promiscuity and drugs as he was being judged and shunned, especially by those in the church who told him Jesus would not accept him.

Society is always trying to fix people, Brown said.

“But as long as a person has love, there should be no judgment,” he said.

Brown said he managed to escape that life, accepted himself and changed for the better. He escaped judgment and discovered that “loving life was the key to loving everyone else.”

Brown said his whole message consists of one sentence: “God is love, only.”

Brown said he now has a great relationship with his family as they have learned to accept him. However, his religion is not tied to a church as his family’s religion is.

“I am spiritual,” he said.

He said he has no denomination but only a relationship with God and is open-minded. He is no longer preaching in a church.

But he had one final message for the students: “Just love. No judging people,” he said.

— Rubi Hurtado