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- Hi, I'm GT Dave.

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I'm founder and CEO of GT's Living Foods.

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(hypnotic electronic music)

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Being a leader in the LGBTQ community

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has certainly been interesting

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because as being gay,
you're definitely a minority

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and therefore you're not
necessarily comfortable

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with sharing certain
things about your lifestyle

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because you might be judged
or even discriminated.

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So for the first 90% of my
career, I actually wasn't out.

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It's not that I was hiding it,

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I just wasn't talking about it.

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But there were clearly people

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that could read between the lines,

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so it was something that
was kind of unspoken.

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But then about five years ago,

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I decided to just own it
and celebrate who I am.

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Because in many ways,

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I think that by showing people who I am,

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I'm kind of exposing a
different side of being gay

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and hopefully breaking down
some of the stereotypes.

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Growing up, I really didn't
have an LGBTQ mentor really

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to look up to, and honestly that was fine

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because in many ways I didn't
have a set path to follow.

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I was able to path my own way.

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And looking back,

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that's something that
I'm very grateful for.

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Now, I did have friends

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that would share with
me their life stories,

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so I was able to kind of
live vicariously through them

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and also listen to some
of the life experiences

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that they went through, good and bad,

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and make sure that I
could apply those lessons

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to my own life.

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Now, growing up and
being a professional now,

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I'm excited to actually become
a mentor to the LGBTQ youth

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because I think in many ways,

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there's so many different
colors and shades of being gay

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and hopefully I can share
with them one way of living.

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The role of companies
and brands today can use

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to invite and include the LGBTQ community,

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as well as advance them,

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so first of all, make sure that it's clear

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that there's not just one role

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that this community can exist in.

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I think until recently,

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we've been very much
exposed to the creative side

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of brands and companies,

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but there's also other roles
that I think can excel in.

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In addition to that,

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I think in the sales and
marketing of any brand,

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it's important to make sure

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that you're showing an inclusive world.

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And that's not just limited
to the LGTBQ community,

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it's also any and every minority.

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I think it's important that
in those advertisements,

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in those photographs, in those videos,

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and in those ads, that
you showcase a world

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that no matter who you are,

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you can look at that and
say there's a place for me.

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For any LGBTQ business
owner or entrepreneur,

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the advice that I would give
is to embrace who you are

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and the gift that you've
been blessed with.

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I believe that when you are a
member of the LGBTQ community,

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that in many ways you possess
this interesting balance

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of masculine and feminine.

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And what that means is that you
can be strong yet sensitive,

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vulnerable yet resilient,

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and I think all these
different kind of dichotomies

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that you possess, if you apply them,

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you can create some incredible art

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and bring some beautiful
things into the world.

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So during the gift of time,

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I've been able to reconnect
with my personal life,

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catch up on sleep, experience my house,

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which I'm embarrassed to say

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I don't really experience that
often during normal times,

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and it's a really great way
to just kind of meditate

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and reflect and make sure
that who you are today

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is somebody that you want to be.