Sexual Identity in Medicine: My Life’s Journey
On March 29, Dr. Holt had the pleasure of presenting to pre-professional healthcare students who are historically underrepresented in the medical field. His storytelling session focused on the intersection of authenticity, advocacy, and the practice of medicine. The theme was turning adversity into an asset for others to learn and grow from.
Overall comments/Impact of session:
Dear Dr. Holt – Thank you for giving this talk to us today. It is truly one of the most inspiring, moving, and educational presentation I have ever heard. I am going to take to heart what you said, and implement that into my life by spreading love to those I know who are LGBTQIA. I hope you continue to do this in the future because I know for sure that you are directly and indirectly saving lives.
I really enjoyed your talk – it was incredibly touching. I appreciate the safe space you created and I hope you continue spreading love and inspiration. We need people like you in this world! I also remember when my best friend came out to me and I feel like that made us closer because he trusted me with something that would be hard for many.
This presentation was great! I’m not a part of the LGBTQIA community but it was great to see from another perspective. You have a great story and an even greater heart! I can see how much this means to you and how you’re touching people around the world. Keep being you and continue to make positive impacts!
I really appreciated being in the audience to your session Dr. Holt. Being a queer student is a challenge and I am really grateful to have the support system I do. Hearing your experience gives me a sense of resilience for my own future.
First of all, thank you so much for taking the time to travel here to talk to us. Thank you for making this a safe space and really being honest about your life experience. That made everything you said afterwards golden. I love the coloring books also so thank you to you and your husband.
Love how the speaker connected with audience and created a safe space. Speaker’s story was very moving. I appreciate the vulnerability and strength it took to share, very inspirational and comforting to hear about. Thank you for keeping it real and speaking on such an important topic that is helpful to many. Thank you for speaking your truth and encouraging us to do so too and thank you for all the advice. Loved the discussion.
Dear Dr. Holt – thank you so much for your presentation today. Thank you for sharing your story. I could only imagine the fear you had in a very vulnerable time in your life. You are inspiring and I appreciate your full transparency. I hope you know how incredible it is that you broke so many barriers throughout your journey and continue to do so. I hope you continue these talks with students in medicine. Keep being an amazing and loving proof that barriers can be broken and one is never alone.
It was really inspiring to hear how hard you worked for your current life. I work hard to go through each day, so it’s comforting to know I am not alone in that sense. Authenticity. I am so glad you and husband are still here with us. Thank you for sharing your struggles and vulnerabilities. I’m glad you shared your unique perspective. Thank you so much. Thanks for traveling all this way to talk to us. It means a lot to me.
The way Dr. Holt told his story and how vulnerable he is makes whatever issues someone else has smaller which I appreciated because we as people always struggle. He also shared ways to show people how to be a supportive friend and how to be there for someone in the LGBTQ+ community. These types of events are needed especially in rural communities. Dr. Holt emphasized community, which I see now is essential to growth and maturing in life.
I think this was an amazing talk. I came into the talk thinking it was not going to be for me. But the way you speak feels so genuine. I gained a new perspective and understanding on how important and vital talks like this are. I congratulate you for living for yourself and creating a freeing, happy, and genuine life for yourself. Your story is very inspiring. Thank you!!!
Thank you for being vulnerable and sharing your story. There have been friends in my life who have struggled to come out due to the fear of being perceived differently, especially coming from a small town. Getting to know you and your story gives me assurances that everything will be okay.
Dr. Holt did an amazing job with creating a safe space by being so open and sharing such a personal story. I come from California so my perspective is very different and it is a reminder that other parts of the world have not reached a point of acceptance. Dr. Holt’s presentation was captivating and so meaningful. I am so grateful I was able to hear his talk.
I really appreciate the vulnerability of this talk. Even though I identify as straight/heterosexual I am happy that some of my peers are able to have a supportive mentor that can encourage them and guide them during their premedical journey or life in general. I am also happy you have encouraged me to live my truth and be authentic, I am often scared to introduce my parents to a partner or someone I am dating so thank you for letting me know it is okay to be yourself!
I just want to say thank you so much for coming all this way to KC to share your story with us. It was a reminder to me how important it is to recognize the struggles people in the LGBTQ community face, and that I should always approach classmates, coworkers, or anyone with kindness and open mindedness. I think that it’s important we spread positive narratives and open minded / progressive thinking because our systems depend on that. We cannot provide high quality care to patients while holding any hate for any group of people. I think it’s amazing that you’re talking about this because there’s so much room for improvement within our schools, the medical system and the work force. I am a Muslim cis women and your presentation has really opened my eyes to what I might encounter when I become a doctor. And I want to make sure that I make that 1:1 interaction feel safe for anyone I’m treating. And this is something I really need to look into more and educate myself.
I enjoyed this session. The personal experiences of Dr. Holt gave me great insight on the perspective of queer individuals. This is a topic I find refreshing to hear about in medicine. This hit close to home and Dr. Holt felt inviting and vulnerable.
I just wanted to thank you for sharing your journey and for the truly beautiful presentation. I really appreciate you sharing with us how to show and tell someone that we are a safe space that they can come to about whatever it is they are going through or don’t feel like they can share. I will definitely take that knowledge with me and work to use it in my everyday life.
It impacted me by realizing so many people around me have struggles they’re not willing to be open about. This just affirms the way I act and think about people when talking and judging them. I appreciate the openness and aspire to do the same in my life and future. As an ally and not somebody part of the LGBTQ community, I feel a need or urge to show more support and be more outgoing in my community. Thank you for everything and I appreciate the aspect of reality. On the side of hope, one of my professors is very active in teaching human sexuality and related topics which is great. Thank you.
Very informative. First person to ask for feedback. Great to working the audience. Really felt comfortable during this presentation. Thank you for making time for conversations. Continue to save lives one person at a time.
I personally don’t identify as LGBTQ, but I found your story to be empowering and eye opening to problems students may face that they don’t show. Thank you for sharing your story.
The session was very impactful and informative. I find it very important for there to be talks about sexual identity or topics that are “taboo.” Personally, this is the first time I’ve heard a talk regarding sexual identity. Thank you so much.
This session opened my eyes to the truth of the world. And I believe that being a doctor invites living your truth and being authentic.
Highly appreciated the presentation. Thank you for your time and shared experiences. I was definitely motivated to follow in your steps in regards to educating and reaching back out to the community I come from.
This was an amazing presentation. I loved the true authenticity and strength Dr. Holt had to give this presentation. He also gave incredible advice.
Support for LGBTQ in my opinion has completely transformed from my childhood to now. It used to be very negative within parents and peers during the 80s and 90s. I still feel there are many inequalities that need to be addressed…My oldest daughter is openly a lesbian and knows she is loved. My second child is bisexual and has no problems sharing her feelings and knowing she is supported.
I appreciated this presentation because although I do not deal with an identity issue, I do have something I cannot speak about. When personality aligns with purpose, that is when magic happens. I appreciate the examples of what to say.
Very good speaker. Speech flowed well and makes audience feel comfortable. The quotes were a good inclusion. Good at telling your story.
Good advice given on how to make a safe space for others. Good advice on how to move on from different cases.
Dr. Holt did a great job at creating a safe environment for the students. I am glad that Dr. Holt has been able to create such a safe space for many people. Thank you for the great presentation.
Insightful, transparent, being resilient, authentic, open, deep, honest, respectful, supportive, resourceful, and open minded. I feel the presentation helped those it resonated with.
I feel like Dr. Holt did a great job with sharing his story and how he chose his career based off this. I will definitely take his advice, story, and feedback towards being more supportive of friends and family who struggle with sharing their sexual identity.
Loved your story and also love the coloring books. Thank you! Very inspiring. Talking about the impacts of your advocacy makes me want to advocate as well. Seems rewarding. Really liked the discussion portion.
To be honest I didn’t think I’d be affected by your presentation but you gave me a very compelling story that spoke to me in more ways than I thought. The presentation you gave had universal truths outside of just the LGBTQ community. Thank you for the presentation.
You are very nice. You made it very interesting. Thank you so much for being so open. You made me feel like I was not alone. I appreciate you being so open and honest. You really made this a safe place. You were also very engaging.
It was a great talk. Learned a lot from Dr. Ron Holt. His own story is very powerful. He also seems like an amazing person. I wanted to thank him for coming out and speaking to us and giving us the wonderful coloring books and pencils.
I just wanted to thank you for sharing your journey and for the truly beautiful presentation. I really appreciate you sharing with us how to show and tell someone that we are a safe space that they can come to about whatever it is they are going through or don’t feel like they can share. I will definitely take that knowledge with me and work to use it in my everyday life.
Thank you for sharing your story and teaching us things that the LGBTQ community deals with. It was very educational.
Loved the vulnerability and honesty to show there is an outlet out there for students who are going through the same or similar situation. Inspired me to continue to be an advocate for the black community in medicine and in life! Loves the advice on how to be a safe outlet for a person to go through something.
Thank you so much for sharing your story and living the true you! Hearing your story allowed me to get insight on how some situations may go for those who may not be supported. I want to be that outlet for a friend who may be going through something similar, so thank you for sharing the advice to be there for that person.
I just want to say i absolutely loved the presentation. Seeing the vulnerability and honesty was inspiring. The session also inspired me beyond identity for he talked about following your dreams and how far you can go in doing so. Loved the presentation! Thank you for coming and telling your story.
Thank you for being so open and honest with your story. It was truly so eye opening and inspiring.
Your story is super inspiring. Thank you for being so vulnerable by sharing your story.
I think this was a powerful speech. It shows that you can be an advocate and supporter of yourself despite others. Even when you feel secluded, this doesn’t mean you can give up.
It was a good session. Very eye opening that these are some struggles that many people go through. Thank you.
Giving lots of time for questions is great. I really liked your presentation, and it is really nice for my sexual identity journey.
The session for this was good for the right audience. Personally I don’t support LGBTQ but I do respect the people who do and are a part of it and have no hate towards them. Overall it was good to know. I did feel some empathy towards the story of how the one person had to move out at age of 15 because of his orientation. Thank you for the time.