PAGE 8
As a little boy who was molested by three different men and one woman before the age of 10—before he even knew what sex was—Tyler struggled to understand his sexuality, he says.

Oprah: Did [the molestations] leave you confused sexually?

Tyler: Yes, absolutely. How could it not? I knew I liked the little girls in the neighborhood, but this man was doing something to me and my body kept betraying me. It took me all of my 20s to figure out what this was that this man had given me to carry inside of my heterosexuality that did not belong to me. This is why so many men will not talk about this—the shame of having to admit that. And there is no textbook definition for what molestation does to someone. Each individual is different.

Oprah: Everyone is different.

Tyler: This is my story, so another man who has been molested may have a different story. But for me to be in this position and have what he had done to me...he gave me something to carry that I didn't want, that I didn't desire. And thank God, somewhere along the way, I found what you feed will grow in your life, and what you don't will starve.

NEXT STORY

Next Story