Finding Harmony in Truth: Dominic Martin Reyes on music, identity, community
Tue. August 18, 2026 10:53 PM by GoPride.com News Staff
photo credit // michael oboza
Give Them Their Flowers is a series by Michael Oboza featuring mini profiles of regular people in the LGBTQ community
CHICAGO, ILL. -
By Michael Oboza, Special to GoPride.com
During my final year as a volunteer photojournalist, I made it my intention to help recognize everyday legends across our LGBTQIA+ community. Among those artists living and creating unapologetically is composer and tenor Maestro Dominic Martin Reyes, who discovered both his music and himself along the journey of self-acceptance.
Finding meaning in language is an innate, internal, and deeply individual cultural experience. For Dominic Martin Reyes, early life was clouded by conflicting messages about faith, culture, and self-worth.
"Life was ambiguous. Growing up in a very religious family, I always knew I was different. Unfortunately, it led me down a path that became very numbing," Reyes shared.
"I listened to rhetoric damning LGBTQ communities and various other intersectional communities and took them to heart. At the end of it all, it was basically hating myself by affirming myself within those ideologies. It also didn't help that my family, being very conservative in their own right, saw being gay or queer as a joke. Being Filipino, a common trope within their humor was just being queer."
Reyes recalled seeing queer performers on screen and feeling conflicted by their openness.
"I remember growing up with phenomenal queer performers on stage and on my TV, like the gorgeous Vice Ganda, and thinking to myself, 'Why do they look and act so ridiculous, but be so affirming in who they are?'" Reyes said.
"Being young and seeing that, I was mad. Not mad at what I saw, but mad that I did not have the courage to act like that in front of my family. Once the end of high school and the beginning of college came around, I knew something had to change. My breakthrough was being surrounded by a group of friends who were open and active in the community. Seeing freedom like that was something I did not think was possible. More and more, I stretched and broke my boundaries, leading me to being who I am today."
Music became the catalyst that allowed Reyes to heal and flourish.
"Being in musicals during high school allowed my eyes to be diverted away from hateful ideas, to ideas about acceptance and understanding," he said.
"Singing more and more was my outlet. As I slowly found my voice, I slowly found myself. I have met people of all sorts in my journey, and music is what ties them together—a language that ascended speech and allowed everyone to be themselves."
Living authentically with the backing of an affirming circle has brought Reyes clarity and confidence.
"Life became about being myself. I never needed to feel like I had to be a character; I was my own," Reyes explained.
"I went through various stages of finding myself, starting from being a young gay man to now being a young adult pansexual, non-binary person. I get to wake up feeling more and more liberated. It also helps to have a partner who tries her hardest to understand me and makes me feel heard."
Navigating identity without feeling the need to perform for others remains a cornerstone of Reyes' perspective.
"I will say, it was hard at first, and still is now. I don't present myself in a certain way that gives off my queerness. In fact, I never have and never felt like I needed to. The people around me and the people who wanted me in their lives knew, and that is enough for me to be seen," Reyes noted.
"I also am in a very straight-presenting relationship; however, she does not make me feel like I am going against the grain. Having a support system like that is so integral to young queer people."
Though in his mid-twenties, Reyes speaks with wisdom grounded in lived experience, emphasizing the importance of setting boundaries and maintaining personal integrity.
"While I don't have much experience, being 25 as of now, I can say that the people that you surround yourself with will mold you whether you like it or not. That is not an option, that is a fact," Reyes said.
"Do not hesitate to put yourself in a position that not only gives you success, but gives you peace. Stick with the people who will care for you. Stick to the people who will come to your projects. Another thing, especially for people my age: do not compromise yourself just because it is easy. You worked hard to be who you are."
Ultimately, Reyes believes in the power of trusting one's own path.
"Sometimes, it is worth saying no in order to be a person of integrity. This is something I struggle with daily—in fact, it's the most consistent issue I face within myself every day," Reyes added. "But with the right support system and the right work on yourself, the decision to choose you will become easier. Just trust the process."
During my final year as a volunteer photojournalist, I made it my intention to help recognize everyday legends across our LGBTQIA+ community. Among those artists living and creating unapologetically is composer and tenor Maestro Dominic Martin Reyes, who discovered both his music and himself along the journey of self-acceptance.
Finding meaning in language is an innate, internal, and deeply individual cultural experience. For Dominic Martin Reyes, early life was clouded by conflicting messages about faith, culture, and self-worth.
"Life was ambiguous. Growing up in a very religious family, I always knew I was different. Unfortunately, it led me down a path that became very numbing," Reyes shared.
"I listened to rhetoric damning LGBTQ communities and various other intersectional communities and took them to heart. At the end of it all, it was basically hating myself by affirming myself within those ideologies. It also didn't help that my family, being very conservative in their own right, saw being gay or queer as a joke. Being Filipino, a common trope within their humor was just being queer."
Reyes recalled seeing queer performers on screen and feeling conflicted by their openness.
"I remember growing up with phenomenal queer performers on stage and on my TV, like the gorgeous Vice Ganda, and thinking to myself, 'Why do they look and act so ridiculous, but be so affirming in who they are?'" Reyes said.
"Being young and seeing that, I was mad. Not mad at what I saw, but mad that I did not have the courage to act like that in front of my family. Once the end of high school and the beginning of college came around, I knew something had to change. My breakthrough was being surrounded by a group of friends who were open and active in the community. Seeing freedom like that was something I did not think was possible. More and more, I stretched and broke my boundaries, leading me to being who I am today."
Music became the catalyst that allowed Reyes to heal and flourish.
"Being in musicals during high school allowed my eyes to be diverted away from hateful ideas, to ideas about acceptance and understanding," he said.
"Singing more and more was my outlet. As I slowly found my voice, I slowly found myself. I have met people of all sorts in my journey, and music is what ties them together—a language that ascended speech and allowed everyone to be themselves."
Living authentically with the backing of an affirming circle has brought Reyes clarity and confidence.
"Life became about being myself. I never needed to feel like I had to be a character; I was my own," Reyes explained.
"I went through various stages of finding myself, starting from being a young gay man to now being a young adult pansexual, non-binary person. I get to wake up feeling more and more liberated. It also helps to have a partner who tries her hardest to understand me and makes me feel heard."
Navigating identity without feeling the need to perform for others remains a cornerstone of Reyes' perspective.
"I will say, it was hard at first, and still is now. I don't present myself in a certain way that gives off my queerness. In fact, I never have and never felt like I needed to. The people around me and the people who wanted me in their lives knew, and that is enough for me to be seen," Reyes noted.
"I also am in a very straight-presenting relationship; however, she does not make me feel like I am going against the grain. Having a support system like that is so integral to young queer people."
Though in his mid-twenties, Reyes speaks with wisdom grounded in lived experience, emphasizing the importance of setting boundaries and maintaining personal integrity.
"While I don't have much experience, being 25 as of now, I can say that the people that you surround yourself with will mold you whether you like it or not. That is not an option, that is a fact," Reyes said.
"Do not hesitate to put yourself in a position that not only gives you success, but gives you peace. Stick with the people who will care for you. Stick to the people who will come to your projects. Another thing, especially for people my age: do not compromise yourself just because it is easy. You worked hard to be who you are."
Ultimately, Reyes believes in the power of trusting one's own path.
"Sometimes, it is worth saying no in order to be a person of integrity. This is something I struggle with daily—in fact, it's the most consistent issue I face within myself every day," Reyes added. "But with the right support system and the right work on yourself, the decision to choose you will become easier. Just trust the process."