Stigma has affected me in many ways. I have been stigmatized all my life, but always tried to fit in. I didn’t most of the time.

I am Puerto Rican and, most of my life, people have looked at me and thought I was a violent person who carries a knife or a gun. I’ve never carried a knife or a gun in my life, but people still assume I am a person who is one of "those people." I have had to try harder than most people to prove to that everybody is wrong about me.

When I became diagnosed with a mental illness, that just made this assumption all the worse. Being a Puerto Rican and having a mental illness made the problem twice as bad. Both labels made people feel I was violent. That is all they saw. But I wasn’t. I was still John with a mental illness and that is all. Recognizing stigma can help me to work with others as a peer advocate. I am able to look at the person inside before making any judgments about him at all. I sure know how it feels to have assumptions made about you. It is very hurtful.