Guy

Guy, age 8

Eugene, Oregon (1970)

I really liked to be dressed up, and I hated pullover shirts. Everything had to "match" and I loved to wear ties. Those might have been early clues.

My first crush was on Max, a boy in the 1st grade with me.
He moved away before our second year of school, and I still don't think I'm over him.

My TV crushes included James West and Artemus Gordon from "The Wild, Wild West" and both Batman and Maxwell Smart also caught my eye.

I remember things like wanting an Easy-Bake Bake Oven, playing with my sisters' Barbie's high heels, and my oldest sister telling me not to "flap my wings" when I ran. Plus, being very curious about what other boys looked like naked.

I also liked bubble baths, short-shorts, and being the Mom whenever we played house. I don't think I wanted to be a girl; I just wanted to do the things girls got to do, and be pretty.

I also have a sister who is gay. When she was about 9 and I was 5, I dressed up as a princess on Halloween, and she went as a pirate.

My coming out was considerably delayed by an unfortunate obsession I had with Anita Bryant. I'd carried her records with me to nursery school & kindergarten. Plus, she was very glamorous and reminded me of my Mom. But her campaign against gay rights the year I turned 15 was upsetting, so I certainly didn't want to be someone Anita didn't like.

It took me until I was 22 to come out - way after everyone else already knew I was gay, including my parents.

Guy's first, famous-person same sex crush:
Mickey Dolenz ("The Monkees")
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Click here - "Born This Way: Real Stories of Growing Up Gay" book
Click here - "My First Gay Crush Blog"
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