This is a difficult letter to write, but it has a happy ending.

I was brought up in a Catholic Hispanic home. On the surface, everything seemed normal; except that as a toddler, my brother began showing signs of artistic genius - also of homosexuality. Perhaps as a result of my father's fears of embarrassment or his own homophobia, he took the position of beating homosexuality out of my brother -- literally. As the oldest child, I took the position of protecting my brother from these beatings. My earliest memory of this is hiding in a closet with my brother from my dad. My brother was two years old and I was four. My father truly believed he was doing the right thing.

My brother continued to pursue his artwork, praised by his teachers through elementary and high school. However, the resentment and tension also continued to build between my dad and brother. My brother's hurt and confusion about his sexuality put him on a path of rebellion and experimentation with drugs. At 16 years old, he ran away from home. About a year later, he returned.

My dad's anger and frustration with my brother reached a point in an argument where he went for my brother's throat. My dad's hands squeezed tightly around my brother's neck and my brother began to choke. immediately, the three women in the family, my mom, my sister and I jumped on my dad's back to stop him and pry his hands off. We succeeded. But the tension continued.

In high school, my brother Gabriel became acquainted with a small group of students who met regularly for Bible study. The group was called The Way International. Initially, the group was helpful because it gave my brother a sense of belonging and connection. And some of the members genuinely cared about my brother, particularly the young lady who ran the Bible fellowship at the time. But The Way International taught that homosexuality was demon possession and an abomination to God. So my brother's sexuality went undercover.

Gabriel's leadership skills and talent enabled him to quickly move up the ranks of The Way International. He was accepted into a three-year leadership program called The Way Corps. However when my brother grew weary of hiding who he was, he began to express himself more freely about his homosexuality with other members. When word reached the leadership of The Way Corps, he was quickly removed from his assignment in The Way's art department called, "Divine Design." He was put on the Grounds Crew as a form of punishment, in an effort to exorcise the demon of homosexuality out of him and turn him into a 'real man' like the others.

My brother's sense of self was gaining strength and before long he came out of the closet as a homosexual. The Way International dismissed him from The Way Corps and put him on probation. When word reached my parents who were also members of The Way, my dad reacted with his characteristic anger. Our home was a gallery displaying works of my brother's genius, yet my dad destroyed them all. In a rage, my father put his foot through my brother's paintings and watercolors and threw my brother's pottery and sculptures against the wall. All that remained was broken pieces. And I witnessed it all.

The happy ending is what my brother has chosen to do with all his pain. He has chosen to be compassionate. And this is why my brother Gabriel inspires me so.

After years of struggling with drug addiction, violent relationships and poverty, my brother is doing well. He has availed himself of Narcotics Anonymous and Gay Alcoholics Anonymous. My brother has been drug-and-alcohol-free for years, is an avid reader and has a strong and beautiful spiritual life. My brother actively pursues non-judgment and unconditional love of everyone in his life, including my parents. My brother is brave enough to go home for Christmas. And because he is brave, now so am I.

My brother Gabriel is a working artist in Los Angeles, often doing contract work for Disney. He is proud to be a working artist and proud of who he is. I'm proud of him, too, happy that his divine spirit has persevered and emerged victorious. Gabriel has taught me that our divine spirit always perseveres if we have the courage to allow it.

The world is fortunate that in my brother's case, fear, hatred and intolerance did not win. The world is fortunate to have in its presence my brother - a homosexual - an artistic genius. I say to my brother, Gabriel Ortiz, Jr.: we are graced by your life. We are blessed by your presence. Thank you. I love you.

Ana Ortiz-Cooper