Sexual Abuse

In this episode of the “Hard Issues” series, (On The Call, S 8 Ep 6) we tackle the issue of sexual abuse.

Mario Golden was born in Mexico City and his family immigrated to Southern Texas when he was 14. He attended Stanford University, where he learned about theories on social transformation, feminism, Freirian pedagogy, and sexual politics and became an activist.

Despite this, Mario is a survivor of sexual abuse as a child. In his story, he was aware that his older brother who was 11 at the time was being abused by the husband of an aunt. His brother later abused him, as well as the same man who abused the brother. The sad part of this is the knowledge that his family was aware and the abusers were supported by the family. He suffered physically and psychologically from this sexual abuse.

In the early 1990s, Mario worked as a teacher specializing in bilingual curriculum development in the California public education system. He then worked as a trainer and counselor in the field of HIV/AIDS. In San Francisco he was a coordinator and counselor at the Hermanos de Luna y Sol Program at the Mission Neighborhood Health Center Clínica Esperanza. As an activist, he participated in various organizations and movements.

Mario began his acting training with Rob Reece. As an actor, he has won accolades and several awards. During this time, Mario gained an interest in playwriting and began studying with Yale University School of Drama alumnus Allen Davis, III.

In 2018, Mario published Semillas, a Spanish language novel about a young gay revolutionary, which has been received enthusiastically by readers. For over 30 years, Mario has contributed to the healing and growth of countless individuals, couples, families, and communities. This includes innovative work with marginalized populations focused on empowering psychological and cultural transitions in order to make positive adjustments towards a freer and more genuine life.

Mario is married to German theater director and journalist Andreas Robertz. He lives in New York City.

As a psychospiritual teacher and counselor, through his School of Mysteries, he offers counseling services, training, facilitation, and tools in areas of self-awareness, interpersonal communication, conflict resolution, empowerment, and community development.

More on the School of Mysteries below:

The School of Mysteries is a specialized school dedicated to the discovery of the self and the universe through drama. It’s both a psycho-spiritual school, focused on self, and universal awareness through direct lived experience in the now, and an acting school.

The New York City Antiviolence Project is here for survivors of violence who are LGBTQ+ or are affected by HIV. Find out how they can help you. They offer a free bilingual (English/Spanish) crisis intervention hotline staffed 24/7. Call 212-714-1141 or report online. Your support, for the New York City AntiViolence Project makes it possible to respond quickly and comprehensively to incidents of violence against our communities. Visit their site to see what they are working on.