What happens when the people who raised you were also the ones you had to survive? In this powerful Pride Month episode of Rooted Recovery Stories, media entrepreneur and LGBTQ+ advocate David Hawkins joins host Patrick Custer to share his journey of growing up queer and deeply misunderstood in rural South Carolina.

From the emotional toll of being an effeminate boy in a culture steeped in toxic masculinity to navigating faith, family, and identity in a world that demanded silence, David opens up about the trauma that shaped him, and the radical healing that followed.

He reflects on the complexity of his relationship with his parents, including a poignant final dinner with his father, and the burden of being “the strong one” in a family still learning how to love fully. Through it all, David’s story is a testament to queer resilience, the power of self-advocacy, and the lifelong journey of becoming.

This is Part 1 of a two-part series, an unflinching, redemptive reflection on surviving rejection, reclaiming truth, and celebrating LGBTQ+ pride in every step of healing.

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Watch/Listen/Subscribe to the Show: 

↳ ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠

↳ ⁠⁠Apple Podcast⁠⁠

↳ ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠

↳ ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠

↳ ⁠⁠Tiktok⁠⁠

↳ ⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠

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Patrick Custer - Host

↳ Instagram: ⁠⁠@thepatrickcuster⁠⁠

↳ TikTok:⁠⁠ @thepatrickcuster⁠⁠

↳ YouTube: ⁠⁠@thepatrickcuster⁠⁠

↳ Facebook: ⁠⁠@thepatrickcuster⁠⁠

↳ Website: ⁠⁠linktr.ee/patrickcuster⁠⁠

David Hawkins - Guest

↳ Insta: ⁠⁠@davidmichaelhawkins

↳ Threads: @davidmichaelhawkins

↳ Tiktok: @davidmichaelhawkins

↳ Website: www.mypr-lab.com

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Promises Behavioral Health – Treatment for addiction, mental health/trauma:

↳ Admissions: (888) 648-4098

↳ Insta: ⁠⁠⁠@promises_bh⁠⁠

↳ URL: ⁠⁠⁠www.promisesbehavioralhealth.com⁠ ⁠⁠

Mental Health America:

↳ URL: ⁠⁠www.mhanational.org

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About David Hawkins:David Michael, the first and only publicly HIV-positive, gay country music entertainer, has released two singles, “He’s Got You” and “A Poor Man’s Roses,” from his six-song Patsy Cline tribute EP, recorded at the famous OmniSound Studios on Music Row. “Openly gay and openly HIV-positive, David Michael represents the change of what it means to be an authentic country music entertainer,” Denny Patterson comments about Michael’s contributions to the industry in his interview for OutFront Magazine. David Michael's most recent recording, “Pretty Boy,” written by country charting star Hailey Whitters, was released to the public on June 1st, in honor of Pride Month. Beyond his role as a performer, David Michael is the founder and CEO of MY PR Lab and served as the primary event coordinator for Music City's First-Ever CMgAys.