Have you renounced any beliefs or practices you were brought up with?

I didn’t have a religion, so there were no religious ideas I had to renounce. Although I did say I didn’t believe in god at some point in my youth. I can’t say I renounced anything because I didn’t know much except the bedtime story versions of god.

I also can’t say I was ever actively taught to despise gays or hate people of other races. I always lived in neighborhoods where almost everyone was of my race. People who had differently colored skin were fairly unknown to me. I didn’t feel as comfortable around them, especially if they spoke differently and more aggressively.

So it wasn’t so much a renunciation as it was a process of trying to become comfortable with people who seemed to be different. I had to learn to seek out other people and to not be afraid of difference. I’ve done that, to some extent, but still, it is class differences that are the hardest to overcome.