Ari Gold has spent the last 20 years celebrating his gay pride on stage through his music, but it took nearly just as long for him to accept his own identity.

The Bronx native came out to his Orthodox Jewish family when he was 18.

"The shame was deep and the shame was real, and that's why I have been so passionate, because I know how I felt growing up with that fear. I thought everyone would excommunicate me," Gold said.

Gold said before coming out, he felt most like himself when writing music. Each time he put pen to paper was another opportunity to express himself freely. Every song was one of encouragement and hope.

"I knew the stuff I was going through, the stuff I was feeling personally, that I wasn't the only one and that a lot of people in our community would feel the way I felt," Gold said.

So when Gold's star began to shine brighter with the release of his first album in 2001, he made it his mission to spend his career supporting the LGBTQ community.

He calls himself an "artivist" - an artist and an activist - volunteering with nonprofit organizations. He works with homeless gay youth, helps raise awareness for HIV and AIDS, and donates his musical talents to benefits and galas.

"It's so important that we shine a light on him, to celebrate him. He gives us all permission to pursue our dreams," said Leo Preziosi, the founder of Live Out Loud. 

All of this while taking on another battle. Earlier this year, Gold took a hiatus from the stage to focus on his health. He has leukemia. He is currently undergoing chemotherapy and is awaiting a bone marrow transplant.

Gold says this is just another chapter in his life, and like his music, it's one he hopes will inspire others as he fights this disease.

"We all have a struggle and a cross to bear, something we live with, and when we open up to each other and share that to each other and tell our stories, then we know that. And that's how we see that we are not alone and we build community," Gold said.

For dedicating his life to spreading messages of pride, promise and positivity, Ari Gold is our New Yorker of the Week.