Samantha

Samantha, age 2
Rural Iowa (1990)

I was ALWAYS the tomboy. I asked for a tool box when I was 9. In this photo I'm actually helping with the assembly of my own swing set. It was my dad and all of my uncles - and me.

"My very first wrench."

I didn't really feel "different" until halfway through high school when I realized that the very strong emotional and protective feelings I had towards my female friends weren't quite the norm.

The thought came to me but I dismissed it the way you do a severe reaction to a mild complaint. Such as, 'My foot hurts - It must be broken!'

I got mad at myself for jumping to such extreme conclusions.

Eventually, I couldn't deny it anymore, and breathed a sigh of relief at finally embracing myself.

Samantha's first, famous-person same sex crush:
Catherine Zeta-Jones (in "The Mask of Zorro")