Destiny Rogers | Episode 4
CREDITS: Destiny Rogers wears a Jordan Brand satin varsity jacket, Freddie Frances Holiday Lounge Pants, and Dr Martens shoes | Styled by Raf Talaat | photos by John Marquez, shot at Death & Co (Los Angeles)
“God—if you’re real, heal me!”
That’s the kind of prayer Destiny Rogers sent up to Heaven during her adolescent years, realizing that she not only crushed on boys at school, but girls as well. “It never happened,” she tells me as we lounge in the corner of Los Angeles bar Death & Co for the latest episode of THROUGH IT. Rogers, the daughter of a pastor dad, is 25 now. She’s seemingly light-years removed from fear that being bisexual means she’s hellbound, but only two into truly being out and clear of shame. How she got to this point is the result of a tough breakup with her first girlfriend in her early 20s, the intense loneliness that followed, and courage.
We still have a ways to go in terms of being an empathetic society. But I’m happy sayings like “Everyone is going through something” are becoming more popular—that considering each person you may come across is either at the center of an invisible storm, or the survivor of one is a thing now.
This is true for Episode 4 star Destiny. When we linked for the start of our two-day shooting stretch on a fall Sunday, she greeted me with a warmth that suggests there’s only sunshine within—radiant smile and all. The Cali’ native and I connected at The Original Farmers Market in Los Angeles, weaving between shops and landing at Huntington Meats to grab a few steaks to barbecue. Grilling is a passion point for Des’, something she loves to do for friends. So we were invited behind the counter by butcher Jon “Hollywood” Escobedo to get a nerd’s eye view of what we’d sizzle later in the day.
Destiny, who’d teach me her kitchen ways at a pool house that afternoon was an enthusiastic student at HM, nodding as Hollywood shared recipe tips, mentioning that she doesn’t “like that bloody shit” through a toothy grin, and cheery when he gifted us more steaks than we could possibly eat just before we left. Good vibes continued poolside. We knocked back beers and laughed to ourselves the way one does when the food is simply too good for words. Fun in the sun is an understatement.
Day 2 was a deep-dive into those storms she’s endured. An hour-long chat downtown at D&C reveals a sobering plenty about the free woman Destiny is now. Free:
from hiding her sexuality.
to love out loud.
from the idea that growing up in a broken home means she, too, will be broken.
to tell her story her whole story through her music.
from thinking there’s no place for her in God’s house.
Over drinks Destiny candidly speaks about what it was like to come out to her father and mom (a Mexican who’d still prefer to have a straight daughter), the messy breakup with her first girlfriend that inspired the bulk of her heartfelt debut album Still Your Girl, and the stressful batch of emotions she dealt with in order to truthfully wear that smile I mentioned. Keeping one of the most important parts of yourself hidden is clearly no way to live. She can attest to the stress it brings. Anxiety, migraines, and stress rashes are only some of what she endured.
Watch Episode 4 to find out the importance of taking time to learn and heal yourself, why living in truth is the fastest way to becoming whole, and see how Destiny’s still shining.