MANILA – Raymond Gutierrez, who officially came out as gay, expressed his gratitude to people close to him for giving him the confidence to embrace himself without any form of judgment.

• Raymond Gutierrez comes out as gay in magazine interview

In an Instagram post on Monday, Gutierrez said that is something a lot of people in the same situation as he is do not have.

Saying he considers himself lucky to be surrounded by the right people, Gutierrez wrote: “[This is] why I’m sharing my story now. Because if there’s one thing I learned this past year and a half is that life is fleeting. I want to encourage those who feel alone that it’s never too late to love yourself, acknowledge those feelings, and face your fears — because it feels damn good to be on the other side.”

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For Gutierrez, “sexuality shouldn’t define who you are and it should never hinder your greatness.”

“For me personally, being in touch with my masculine and feminine side allowed me to push boundaries creatively and create magic with the projects I do. So to those saying ‘we knew,’ you never knew my story and my struggles,” he said.

“And if you’re reading this and you feel like you’re alone, I want to let you know that I went through the same things -- you will be loved, your feelings are valid, and those who truly love you will stick around,” he added.

Following his post, Gutierrez’s family and friends rallied behind him including his twin brother Richard, sister Ruffa, sister-in-law Sarah Lahbati, niece Janine Gutierrez, and actresses Anne Curtis, Isabelle Daza, Angel Locsin, and Solenn Heussaff, among others.

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