My Life. My Blog.

The only thing more shocking than the truth
are the lies people tell to cover it up.

I am a strong believer in owning and embracing everything that has happened to you. Your experiences are your own, and you should be able to mold them into stories that belong to you. I think there is real strength in owning something horrible that has happened, in going from hiding a shameful secret to being able to say, “This is my truth. I got through it, and I’m okay.” I don’t think I’m quite there yet in terms of declaration, but at the end of the day, you are allowed to own the hurt you’ve experienced. You’re allowed to take back what you feel like people have taken away from you. I’ve decided I will not let this ruin me.

If that resonates, check out my blog, where I rant about whatever pops into my head—from TV shows to deep thoughts, personal stories (which may not be as funny as when I tell them, but still a good read), my art, and my memoir Stripped, a wild ride through a year and a half of my life.

Welcome to my page… The Straight T!

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Grab Stripped: A Memoir now for only $24.95—including shipping!

In his debut full-length memoir, Stripped, Erik Mario Austin unravels his chaotic return to Los Angeles, where what begins as a simple swipe on a dating app in search of love, sex, and connection spirals into a nightmare he never saw coming. Labeled an addict on the run from rehab after a staged intervention, Erik’s life rapidly collapses as rumors spread, loyalties fracture, and those who claim to be helping push him closer to destruction.

A raw, twisting memoir that reads like fiction, Stripped chronicles Erik’s dramatic fall into homelessness as he spirals through some of Los Angeles’s most dangerous neighborhoods. Pulled into a modern-day Dickensian underworld, he becomes ensnared in a ruthless network of homeless con artists who survive by seducing, stealing, and scheming beneath the city’s glittering façade. In their desperate hunt for drugs and shelter, they prey on the wealthy and surrender their stolen rewards to a manipulative kingpin, a twisted modern-day Fagin who keeps them loyal with just enough to survive. Forced deep into the city’s underbelly, Erik learns that trust is a currency no one can afford and that every choice comes with a price that may not be paid in money.

Told with the urgency of a psychological thriller and the intimacy of a whispered confession, Stripped is part porn, part dark comedy and entirely unflinching. With sharp humor, fearless honesty, and theatrical flair, Austin tears the mask off society’s prettiest lies and exposes what happens when survival becomes the only script left to follow. At its core, Stripped is a raw and revealing story of queer identity, addiction, betrayal, and the art of surviving your own destruction—when life goes off-script and you’re forced to improvise.

Sometimes, survival is the greatest performance of all.

Bravo

I am honestly so thankful for Bravo. It sounds silly, but some days it genuinely saves me. When my brain is loud or the day feels heavy, there is something comforting about familiar chaos, dramatic confessionals, and people arguing about things that are not my problems. It is escapism, sure. But it is also comfort. And sometimes that is exactly what I need. #LiveYourDream #CreativeHealing #ThisIsMyStory #Theater #Musicals #ToxicPeople#StrippedAMemior #MentalHealthMatters #Fro

4 hours ago

Paper Bags

Paper grocery bags are a lie. I always forget my reusable ones, think it will be fine, and then the handles rip and the bottom gives out in the parking lot. This is me reminding myself that I own reusable bags. Many of them. I should probably bring them next time. #LiveYourDream #CreativeHealing #ThisIsMyStory #Theater #Musicals #ToxicPeople#StrippedAMemior #MentalHealthMatters #FromStageToPage #HealingThroughArt #VulnerablyBold #Depression #Manipulation #Bipolar #BreakingThe

1 day ago

Life

I honestly never expected to live this long. Not in a dramatic way, just in a quiet, matter of fact way. I planned in short chapters, not full books. Sometimes I catch myself thinking, oh… I am still here….how much longer? #LiveYourDream #CreativeHealing #ThisIsMyStory #Theater #Musicals #ToxicPeople#StrippedAMemior #MentalHealthMatters #FromStageToPage #HealingThroughArt #VulnerablyBold #Depression #Manipulation #Bipolar #BreakingTheStigma #TheaterAndTherapy

2 days ago

Ouch

I woke up at 2 am feeling like my brain was about to explode. The pressure in my eyes was terrible. Usually when I sit up it eases, but this time it just… didn’t. So I moved to the living room, sat upright, turned on the TV, took a decongestant, and at some point I must have fallen back asleep. I woke up again around 4:15 and felt so much better. The relief was unreal. Thank God for small mercies and medicine cabinets at 2 am. #LiveYourDream #CreativeHealing #ThisIsMyStory #T

2 days ago

Breathe

Lately, sleep has turned into this weird nightly battle. Every time I finally lie down, something happens. My nose suddenly plugs up, like something fills it from the inside, and I can’t breathe right. It jolts me awake over and over again. The strange part is that once I sit up, things usually go back to normal within a minute. I can breathe again. Everything clears. But as soon as I lie back down, there it is again. Same thing. Same frustration. This has been going on for a

3 days ago

Therapy

I do one on one therapy every week. And that said, does anyone else ever feel… therapied out? Like you have done all the journaling, all the unpacking, all the emotional heavy lifting, and your brain just wants to sit on the couch, eat snacks, and not analyze why you feel the way you feel. Do not get me wrong. Therapy is good. Necessary. Life saving, even. I love having someone help me sort through the mess. But sometimes I find myself thinking, yes, I know why I do this. I k

3 days ago

ICE

Today there is a so called national shutdown, with organizers across the country urging people not to go to work, school, or shop as a protest against ICE and broader federal enforcement actions. It sounds so simple, right? But when I finally left the house and drove by Costco, Macy’s, and Walmart, the parking lots were packed. Like holiday packed. I was somehow expecting something closer to those quiet pandemic days, but that definitely was not the case, which honestly felt

4 days ago

Traitors

Episode 7 of The Traitors was the BEST. Chaos, strategy, betrayals, and my jaw fully on the floor the entire time. I am absolutely obsessed. #LiveYourDream #CreativeHealing #ThisIsMyStory #Theater #Musicals #ToxicPeople#StrippedAMemior #MentalHealthMatters #FromStageToPage #HealingThroughArt #VulnerablyBold #Depression #Manipulation #Bipolar #BreakingTheStigma #TheaterAndTherapy

4 days ago

Niecy Nash

I started watching The Hunting Party and Niecy Nash showed up in season two, instantly sending my brain back to Clean House and all that “mayhem and foolishness.” Seeing her now, so grounded and commanding, it really hits how far she’s come. Turns out she was always this good. We just did not know it yet. #LiveYourDream #CreativeHealing #ThisIsMyStory #Theater #Musicals #ToxicPeople#StrippedAMemior #MentalHealthMatters #FromStageToPage #HealingThroughArt #VulnerablyBold #De

5 days ago

Southern Charm

I love how on Southern Charm they always throw in those little songs that basically sing what’s going on in all the scenes. Like a tiny musical narrator popping in to explain who’s mad, who’s lying, and who’s about to stir the pot. Followed immediately by: bop bop bod doo 🎶 #LiveYourDream #CreativeHealing #ThisIsMyStory #Theater #Musicals #ToxicPeople#StrippedAMemior #MentalHealthMatters #FromStageToPage #HealingThroughArt #VulnerablyBold #Depression #Manipulation #Bipolar.

5 days ago

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