Chicago
author, speaker, and survivors’ advocate Patrick
Dati will host a reading from his memoir I Am Me: Survivor of Child Abuse
and Bullying Speaks Out on Friday,
August 8, 6:30pm at Center on Halsted (3656 North Halsted, Chicago).
In
his memoir Dati, who grew up on the Northwest side of Chicago, unflinchingly
recounts a traumatic sexual assault at the hands of John Wayne Gacy when he was
9 years old and the ensuing years of bullying by family members while hiding his
true identity as a gay man through two failed marriages. By sharing these details of his life and his
ultimate coming out journey to find acceptance and love, Dati offers comfort to
fellow victims and encourages them with the message that took him years to
discover: Be who you are.
“Too
often in life the person we were raised to be is not the person we are,” Dati
explains. “I lived my life to please others and it doesn’t work. I suffered so much and now I want to share my
journey with others so that they too can come out of their darkness and into
their light. Just be who you are. That’s the message!”
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Kirkus
Reviews has praised I Am Me calling
it a “smartly written and brave tale” and “a comforting prospect for other
victims.”
On
Friday, August 8, Patrick Dati will share his story with members of Chicago’s
Boystown community conducting a live reading from I Am Me at Center on Halsted followed by a reception during which audience
members will have an opportunity to purchase Dati’s book and interact with him
one-on-one.
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Since
publishing I Am Me, Dati has become a
national advocate and personal resource for survivors of sexual abuse and
bullying as well as for closeted gay men.
In addition to regularly speaking at national forums, he is active in
several local and national anti-bullying and child abuse prevention
organizations.
This
event is free and open to the public. Space
is limited. To R.S.V.P. please visit: https://community.centeronhalsted.org/PatrickDati.
