The trouble with obesity, discovering your sexuality, and being different
strugglinh to fit into the most stylish clothes possible. It wasn’t long until everyone around Behringer started to see an incredible difference in his weight, and most importantly his lifestyle. And as if battling to loose 75 pounds of excess weight wasn’t enough, Behringer struggled to discover himself and his sexuality. He tells JustBe, “I never really classified a difference between my attraction to men and women. I was never taught straight, gay, or whatever. My parents would always reference relationships by saying “When you get married” or “When you find someone” so I wasn’t raised to focus on gender but instead the person.” After an overwhelming junior year of high school, Behringer had already managed to loose over 35 pounds. And with the support of family, friends, and pure experiences, Behringer came to the conclusion that while he found himself attracted to both men and women, the “beauty and elegance” of a women, and the ability to bring a new life to the earth was more attractive than any man. Behringer describes his parents as “two amazing people-A hilarious father and a forgiving and generous mother.” He contributes most of his accomplishments to them. In his senior year of high school, Behringer was a proud teenager. He felt confident in his skin and had the courage to accomplish anything that came his way. And while he was bullied and traumatized by so many through his journey, he only hopes that his success will show them that their words hurt but were no match for his strength. Today, Behringer is successfully running his own photography business, Nick Behringer Photography; works at Outback part-time, and is fully enrolled at the University of Tampa looking to receive a Bachelor Degree in Business Administration. Behringer’s advice to anyone being bullied is, “As cliché as it sounds, it does get better. It’s important to feel superior to those who bully because they simply do not understand what it is that you are. Mankind has always reacted harsh to things that they do not understand, things that are different. You’re a beautiful and unique person who is far to complex to be understood by a simple mind, just like a primate, they will act harshly. Remember that.” In Behringer’s final words to JustBe he said, “I’m stronger than ever and cannot be broken.” And when asked to describe himself in one word; he simply said, “Proof.”
The Treacherous Path toHappiness
TRANSFOM RATION
August of 2012
“I knew it was bad. I knew it wasn’t pretty. But it was as if my weight was a disease. It consumed me. I was lost.”
ACCEPTING himself & GETTNG BETTER
“By my Junior Year of High School, I had consciously made the decision to lose weight. I wanted to be accepted and I wanted to be the best me that I could be.”
- Nick Behringer