2417“I don’t know if you can tell, but I kind of present at least an ambiguous sexual orientation, if not right off the bat as gay,” Daniel says, referring to his voice among other things, which you can hear in his audio commentary.

”This summer I was doing a couple of projects that took me to New York. I was staying in an apartment on Bleecker in Thompson Street and two blocks away this man was shot in the face for looking gay.

”Around the same time a couple in a gay bar was also bashed. These guys had the audacity to come into the Stonewall and bash in the bar.

”I was deeply affected by and let the fear rule me. I wasn’t really leaving the apartment and was running out of dry noodles to eat. Finally I called my friend Dan who has a way with wisdom that’s very fresh and human.

”With tears in my eyes I told him how I was freaking out and letting paranoia get the better of me again, like I felt every straight man I passed was going to pull out a gun and shoot me.

”Without batting an eyelid he told me: “That’s really stupid Daniel.” My sensibilities were so wounded, and I asked him why. He then told me this, and that being scared wouldn’t do anything to change whether someone shot me in the face or not.

”Hearing it put that way was this amazing paradigmatic shift for me and all of a sudden I was like ‘You’re right. My fear doesn’t do anything to chance or human cruelty.’ Keeping that as a mantra was just so rewarding in terms of letting go of so much fear over that which I don’t have control over.”

Taken in Manila, Philippines during the SOTM World Tour.