Gregory, age 5
New Brunswick, Canada (1989)
Here I'm striking a pose by the pool in my back yard in Burtt’s Corner, New Brunswick. We lived in a very "back woods" town, and around this time my parents were approaching the peak of their now non-existent Evangelical frenzy. I had no clue that I was "gay," but certainly knew I loved posing for photos. And, putting on private concerts for my stuffed animals, to Bette Midler songs.
I loved almost any boy on television, but developed a strange attraction to cartoon characters (future fetish warning?), especially Wheeler, the red-headed bad boy from Brooklyn on "Captain Planet." Thankfully I eventually grew to love "real" boys, and was incredibly fond of Jason Marsden from "Step By Step" and Rider Strong from "Boy Meets World."
Being queer - in the country and in a religious family, which barely tolerated dancing - my pop culture exposure was small and dependent on my older step-brother. When our parents weren't home, we'd listen to New Kids On The Block, Guns 'N Roses, and The Heights. Thankfully it was enough to instill a curiosity that carried me out of the flatland of Christian pop.
My parents are non-religious and completely accepting now, and when I showed this photo to my mother recently I asked how she couldn’t have known I was gay, she blithely replied, 'Who said I didn’t?'
Gregory's first, famous-person same sex crush:
Wheeler (on "Captain Planet")
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2 comments:
Gregory, you're adorable and you've given me to consider the dichotomy between parents who spend their energy raising children to be like themselves versus raising children to BE themselves. Sounds like you have wonderful parents, too! Cheers.
You sure knew how to strike a pose from an early age! Funny thing, I, too, used to have some attraction to cartoon characters as a young boy, and strangely enough, Wheeler was one of my favourites! I loved your post and it's nice to know that your parents are very accepting. :)
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