Annie, age 9
Fort Walton Beach, FL (1992)
I was a tomboy as a child. I spent my time riding bikes with my best friend
(a boy) and climbing trees. When family got together, my female cousins and I would spend a lot of time playing dress up and putting on "shows". As you can see, I was willing to dress the part of the boy in our performances.
I didn't come to terms with the fact that I was gay until after I had graduated college. I spent a lot of time going through the motions of dating guys and fulfilling expectations.
When I finally did come out, and embraced who I was and the feelings I was having, I discovered a lot of gay moments I'd had in retrospect.
For instance, I'm quite sure my first crush was my 1st grade teacher,
Ms. Lutrell.
Looking at the photo today amuses me, as I consider myself a "femme" lesbian, and I don't wear men's clothes as an adult.
But it's interesting to look at this photo and realize I was comfortable exploring gender roles, even at a very young age.
Today, I am out and proud and have an amazingly supportive family, for whom I am extremely grateful.
2 comments:
I was raised and still reside in FWB and I am so happy to see your post on this site! This town is anything but open-minded, and I was almost shocked to see your post. On behalf of the minority of open-minded FWB residents I want to say thank you!
Aw, thanks for saying thanks. I was raised there too, and still visit a lot. Thanks for representing the open-minded folks!
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