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VIDEO: LIFTING OTHERS UP


VIDEO: LIFTING OTHERS UP


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Trigger warning: depression, suicidal ideation

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When Asian and LGBTQ+ advocate Amazin LeThi was growing up in Sydney, Australia,
she never saw an Asian person or a person from the LGBTQ+ community on TV.

> "I always thought as an Asian LGBTQ person that my feelings were very
> singular—I was the only Asian LGBTQ person in the world.... [Now] there's some
> Asian kid watching Black Lighting, thinking 'I'm LGBTQ, and I can be a
> superhero,'" she told The Advocate.

LeThi’s Strength
LeThi was born in Saigon, Vietnam, left at an orphanage, and then adopted by a
white Australian family. She grew up in an all-white neighborhood as a
transracial adoptee and experienced bullying and racism for looking different
than others in her hometown.

As she grew older and came into her own, she realized she was part of the LGBTQ+
community. She wanted to learn more about herself, to study her heritage and
learn Vietnamese, but her parents couldn’t help her. She lifted weights at the
gym to defend herself from bullies and clear her mind, but not knowing her
history and being attacked for who she was led to depression and suicidal
ideation.

After high school, she left home and spent time in Europe where she eventually
ended up living in a homeless shelter. During this low point in her life, LeThi
recalled her former love of weightlifting.

She decided to get back to pumping iron, using the mental and physical strength
to transform herself into a competitive bodybuilder and coach who advocates for
both Asian and LGBTQ+ athletes. Now, she uses her personal experiences and
authenticity to engage with audiences and empower others through the Amazin
LeThi Foundation.

As she told Queerty:

“I never thought I would be an advocate in any way. But it comes from my own
journey. I think back to when I was in my teens and I never saw myself or anyone
standing up for my community. Obviously, at that age, you don’t have a voice, so
you need someone else.

So that drives me. I now have a platform. It’s my responsibility to speak up. I
know there’s a kid being bullied for being Asian or being LGBTQ, or who wishes
they could see a mirror image of themselves in sports. The work I do isn’t for
me, it’s for others. Sharing my story, I hope it can allow other Asian LGBTQ
people to feel comfortable with who they are.”

Watch: Learn more about LeThi’s life growing up and who inspired her in this
video by the “It Gets Better Project.”


Need help with this video? Click Here
Want more stories of people’s lived experiences? The StoryCorps app can help. In
2003, the nonprofit started with a simple premise: put two people in a sound
booth and record their stories. The goal is to preserve and share humanity’s
stories, build connections, and create a more compassionate world. They’ve
recorded over 300,000 interviews and you can listen to them today.

Take Action: Do you have a story to tell? It can be scary to open up to others
about your lived experience. But, as in LeThi’s case, it’s an effective way to
create change, start conversations, and connect with others.

If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact the National Suicide Prevention
Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK for support and private assistance from a trained
counselor. You can also text HELLO to 741741, the text chat line. Both are free
services. You can also contact The Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 for The
Trevor Lifeline, a confidential service that offers trained counselors to help
with suicide prevention efforts in LGBTQ+ youth. If you or a loved one are in
immediate danger, contact the emergency service number in your country. For
those in the United States, call 911.


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