tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49078695621003665692024-03-14T08:32:13.766-07:00Born This Way BlogA photo/essay project for gay adults (of all genders) to submit childhood pictures and stories (roughly ages 2 to 12), reflecting memories & early beginnings of their innate LGBTQ selves. Nurture allows what nature endows. It's their nature, their truth!DJ Paul V.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18153342642716256652noreply@blogger.comBlogger722125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907869562100366569.post-22876544850324818582022-06-30T12:18:00.005-07:002022-06-30T23:09:26.577-07:00Theodore<div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Theodore (Tedd), age 6<br />San Diego, California (1954)</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">I always <span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">felt like an only child. Even with three older brothers, </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">I never bonded with any of them.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">They didn’t want to be seen with me, so I stayed home with my mom. <br /><br /></span></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyEjGsZkhBZjQ5JRiZmppa52PhpPnWrQ7MaKGTam963HISATYeROKqEVIAKAL4ANT45SiI4HzP_v1DNjT2iIhu0jiymEMldB0TyywXKFiGVxUqJlJbwlMvaxmyo_SyLc6xl-RJt4qgGmzoKq6dxij-8Xnw05OUbvjoMDSTPYTKy3anf-fKJJy_AF-x/s2349/IMG_4741.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2349" data-original-width="1724" height="551" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyEjGsZkhBZjQ5JRiZmppa52PhpPnWrQ7MaKGTam963HISATYeROKqEVIAKAL4ANT45SiI4HzP_v1DNjT2iIhu0jiymEMldB0TyywXKFiGVxUqJlJbwlMvaxmyo_SyLc6xl-RJt4qgGmzoKq6dxij-8Xnw05OUbvjoMDSTPYTKy3anf-fKJJy_AF-x/w405-h551/IMG_4741.jpeg" width="405" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I was bullied and teased growing up, mostly by one of my brothers.<br />Sadly, he was the one I admired the most.</span></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">I knew I was different the first day of kindergarten at age 5.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">The teacher taking attendance called </span><i style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">“Theodore”</i><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> and I just sat there until she called </span><i style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">“Teddy”</i><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> to which I answered: </span><i style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">'Here.'</i><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Then she said, </span><i style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">“Well, don’t you even know your name?”</i><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">The entire class broke out laughing when I said: </span><i style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">'No.'</i><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> </span></span></div><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />That was by far the most embarrassing day ever, and set the tone for the majority of my life. And it took years to rebuild confidence in who I am and always was.</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-kerning: none;">Growing up mostly in the San Diego area, I had it fairly easy as a closeted gay person. And thankfully, r</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">eligion was not a part of my upbringing.</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-kerning: none;"><br />My first same-gender attraction was also at age 5.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I found myself strangely attracted to our neighbor daughter’s boyfriend, a sailor! As a teen, m</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">y first celebrity crush was actor Glenn Corbett, from the early 1960’s TV show, </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">"Route 66."</i></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i>However, it was Audrey Hepburn I was in awe of. She was the most elegant woman that ever lived. I also</span><b style="font-family: inherit;"> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">watched a lot of Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly musicals as I grew up.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">So, I guess you could say that was somewhat of an obsession.</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />I would also turn to music as the refuge from the pressures of being different and not fitting in at school.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I sat alone in my bedroom getting lost in whatever type of music I had access to, and often singing and dancing.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> Today, </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I still listen to music as a go-to, good feeling place when I feel down. And I'm <i>still</i> singing and dancing.</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />The rest of my teenage years would have been the loneliest time of my life if it weren’t for my best friend, Bill.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> H</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">e was straight, and I didn’t come out to him until I was 68 years old!</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">His reaction was: </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">"And I’m straight. So what?"</i></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />At age 21, I married my high school sweetheart, and I came out to my mom at age 26. End of marriage! My mom’s reaction: </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">“We always knew you were different.”</i><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">The rest of the family was accepting; however, I distanced myself from them to protect </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">them</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> from being harassed for having a gay family member.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />And my biggest regret? Not having children while I was still married.</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br />I gr</span>aduated college and became a residential architect. I went into business with my first male partner, also an architect, and we were together 24/7.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I really wanted to be a fashion designer or professional dancer, but thought it was too gay to do that.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> But </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I’ve started designing and making outfits, just for fun.</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-kerning: none;"><br />So my adult relationships lasted 17 years, then 13 years, then a <i>different</i> 13 years (and </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">each sure have their own stories). I retired at age 67, and in my post retirement career - I became a porn star at age 70!</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-kerning: none;"><br />Now at age 74, what gives me the most pride is b</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">eing a role model and mentor for younger gay men. I have several friends in their 30’s that use me as a sounding board for issues they are faced with in their lives.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And in closing, my message to LGBTQ+ kids today is this:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> <br /></span><br />Be who you are and don’t give up on your dreams. And know that the person you need to count on the most, is the one you see in the mirror every morning.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">__________________________________________________________</p><div><br /></div><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Born-This-Way-Stories-Growing/dp/1594745994" target="_blank">Click here - "Born This Way: Real Stories of Growing Up Gay" book</a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://myfirstgaycrush.blogspot.com/">Click here - "My First Gay Crush Blog</a>"</b><br /><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/2324512/?claim=xhat9uztwm6"><b>Click to follow this blog with Bloglovin'</b></a> // <a class="twitter-share-button" data-hashtags="BornThisWay" data-related="BornThisWayBlog" data-url="http://bornthiswayblog.com" data-via="DJPaulV" href="https://twitter.com/share">Tweet</a> DJ Paul V.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18153342642716256652noreply@blogger.com0San Diego, CA, USA32.715738 -117.16108384.4055041638211563 -152.3173338 61.025971836178847 -82.0048338tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907869562100366569.post-86594786549558983542022-06-19T15:55:00.000-07:002022-06-19T15:55:02.825-07:00Al<div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Al, age 2</span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">North East, Pennsylvania (1972)</span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHGKQfj7rL2JxQaF2_5Zb22o_Q-NNbnru0wjeUa-4662N0hLivKBKspVk7L4P6S2jcRAKaWqBq2sxx4UNGg7K158RuTN_eQQ06U-_ONj-8M92o2m6jVG7BxNNEKhzdbOO2Ipx_ROpeoS1HdlsD8qoCU88SnDKDlhhIrEZ7p4T4SyMwvaG5-pDZKrXi/s2279/Al_bornthiswayblog.com.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2279" data-original-width="2068" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHGKQfj7rL2JxQaF2_5Zb22o_Q-NNbnru0wjeUa-4662N0hLivKBKspVk7L4P6S2jcRAKaWqBq2sxx4UNGg7K158RuTN_eQQ06U-_ONj-8M92o2m6jVG7BxNNEKhzdbOO2Ipx_ROpeoS1HdlsD8qoCU88SnDKDlhhIrEZ7p4T4SyMwvaG5-pDZKrXi/w361-h398/Al_bornthiswayblog.com.jpg" width="361" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I am the youngest of four siblings. I have two older brothers, and you've heard about the "gay theory" right? The more older brothers you have, the more likely you could be gay.<br /><br />I'm not sure exactly what age I <i>knew</i> I was gay, but I knew I always liked looking at male bodies at summer camp, in gym class, at swim practice, and on TV. And I just thought all guys were feeling that, too. So as long as I wasn't blatantly obvious, no one ever said anything to me.<br /><br />I knew of two pretty "out" guys (well, as out as you could be back then) who were obviously gay. I don't know if they ever announced this, but they never seemed to have any problems with it in school.<br /><br />I was always interested in other things besides sports. I played with <i>Barbie</i> dolls with my three close "girl friends" from the neighborhood. So that might have been a clue. Plus I was always taking <i>Ken's</i> clothes off as often as I could! </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">As a pre-teen, I used to dance to my 45 records alone in our basement. It was very "Solid Gold" type dancing. And I wonder if any of my family members ever saw me? Surely, they would have known.</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I was also fascinated with "celebrity" culture. <br />Wanting to <i>be</i> a celebrity, and wanting to <i>meet</i> one. <br /><br />Because I thought if I became famous, I would finally feel loved. <br /><br />See, my parents were from the generation where verbal <i>"I love you's"</i> never happened. And as a gay child who already felt different and alienated from my whole family, I needed and wanted that extra assurance and care from my parents. <br /><br />One family moment that stays in my memory was a New Year's Eve party at our house, and I was told that you kiss everyone at midnight. I was around age 9, and I went and kissed my brother on the lips. And I remember him reacting strongly against that. I don't remember my parents reaction exactly, but I'm sure somehow that moment seeped into my subconscious: <i>it isn't OK to kiss another man.</i></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Another strong memory was getting my <i>International Male</i> magazine subscription around age 15, the closest thing we had to male erotica at the time. I used to pretend I was one of the models, and would "hump" the bed. But I was imagining it was a woman, not a man. Certainly kind of odd, right?</span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">I also used to rent those soft-core straight movies like "Red Shoe Diaries" in the 80's, and I knew I was only renting it for the men, because they were all usually very hot, and there was always a lot of nudity! But I never watched any gay porn until <i>after</i> I came out after college.<br /></span><br />But speaking of college: I repressed my sexuality all throughout it, tried to go the whole "straight route," and I even turned my back on my closeted friend from high school when <i>he</i> came out to me later in college. I thought he might be trying to get me to come out, too. <br /><br />So I lived in a frat house, "dated" girls, and even had sex with two women. But not very successfully. And that just turned me into a raging alcoholic. I would get super drunk at our parties, and that's how I would get out of sleeping with girls. Which is pretty sad to think about. My frat brothers even called me <i>"Too drunk to f*ck!"</i> But it never stopped me from getting drunk again!<br /><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Eventually I moved to Orlando, FL because I knew I couldn't come out in my small hometown. And there I started going to a straight club on Thursday nights, their "Bad Disco" -- aka gay -- night. And once I started going alone, I remember being cruised and cruising men for the first time, and it started to feel validating<br /><br />When I got that attention, it was the first time I actually had another man look at me, as if they liked me. Which most straight peers get to experience in high school. So because I had no male sexual contact with anyone in high school or college, I was like a kid in a candy shop! <br /><br />Then in the 90's, I remember racking up big bills on pay phone-sex lines that were big back then. I had a bit of a sexual addiction and was having phone sex with random strangers from all over the country. One of my phone sex regulars even met me in person, but I turned him down. His reality just didn't match my fantasy.</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Because I was playing so much those first few years of coming out, I did some pretty reckless things. A cop even caught me making out with a guy in a car. That was scary, but thankfully he was cool about it.</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">After awhile, I started feeling kind of angry about being gay and coming out. I felt like I was wasting so much time trying to find sex, which was never even that great.<br /><br />And I blamed all my energy trying to get laid as even <i>more</i> internalized homophobia. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">But, all of that did kind of inspire my creative genes as an artist.</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So I took all that angst and used it for inspiration, and sculpted of some of my most powerful art pieces. Which is another story, for another day.</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">______________________________________________________</p></div><div><br /></div><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Born-This-Way-Stories-Growing/dp/1594745994" target="_blank">Click here - "Born This Way: Real Stories of Growing Up Gay" book</a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://myfirstgaycrush.blogspot.com/">Click here - "My First Gay Crush Blog</a>"</b><br /><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/2324512/?claim=xhat9uztwm6"><b>Click to follow this blog with Bloglovin'</b></a>
<a class="twitter-share-button" data-hashtags="BornThisWay" data-related="BornThisWayBlog" data-url="http://bornthiswayblog.com" data-via="DJPaulV" href="https://twitter.com/share">Tweet</a>DJ Paul V.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18153342642716256652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907869562100366569.post-82448433274836163082022-03-07T12:07:00.008-08:002023-12-15T09:00:49.163-08:00James<div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">James, age 3<br />Madison, Wisconsin (1993)</span></b></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhmv2SQhNnQpWUKBaBrOc7zIIJJlFwa998SR9Ktx52GlsY61ekefhoXM7BvigeSN8DGLo6z-VelOqnQrynGl96VYOyJs3dSjxS6k_hHqrjXWyFQ6lue-q1g_YbYQdCWVL_HXy3otlc0jKKVqvx5TQl-A4P92pN5y97CLofnEjX5nHAxKhyCGG6qV4IS=s678" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="678" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhmv2SQhNnQpWUKBaBrOc7zIIJJlFwa998SR9Ktx52GlsY61ekefhoXM7BvigeSN8DGLo6z-VelOqnQrynGl96VYOyJs3dSjxS6k_hHqrjXWyFQ6lue-q1g_YbYQdCWVL_HXy3otlc0jKKVqvx5TQl-A4P92pN5y97CLofnEjX5nHAxKhyCGG6qV4IS=w514-h454" width="514" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="text-align: left;">Five years after this photo, when I was age 8, Joss Whedon </span><i style="text-align: left;">ruined</i><span style="text-align: left;"> my life.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><br />You see, I wasn't always a <b><a href="https://www.jaymesmansfieldbeauty.com" target="_blank">drag queen</a></b>. Okay maybe I was. But there's still a possibility that I might have ended up a lawyer or a UFC fighter.<br /><br />You see, I was once a young, well behaved Catholic school boy. But then I watched <i>"Buffy The Vampire Slayer"</i> - the movie, not the TV series - but that also proved to be quite influential. </span><span>The film starred Kristy Swanson and Luke Perry (the world's oldest high schooler, but boy was he dreamy). I watched it constantly, wearing out the VHS tape my parents ripped off HBO.<br /></span><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span><br />I remember Kristy gets harassed by David Arquette, who </span></span><span>takes a hot dog off of Kristy’s plate and holds it to her crotch and asks: </span><i>“Buffy are you hungry?”<br /></i><span><i><br /></i>And she slices it clean off with a butter knife!<br /></span><span><br />Well, I decided wouldn't it be </span><i>hilarious</i><span> to do the same thing to my friend Connor at lunch one day. I took the offending frankfurter out of its bun and presented it to him aside my crotch and quoted David Arquette word for word, a performance I think even </span><i>he</i><span> would of been proud of.<br /></span><span><br />Needless to say this, didn't win me any </span><i>People’s Choice Awards</i><span>.</span></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span>Nope, I got thrown into the principal's office, and got a weekly visit to the school psychologist -</span></span><span> for making a joke? Sure it was crass and bluer than my usual material, but I was just an up and coming comedian. Right?<br /></span><span><br />But this incident led to the first crack in the foundation of my childhood innocence. See, I was always a tad odd, but in my own way, I felt I was charming. Sure, nobody played with me at recess - but that's because I didn't play sports. Sure, nobody came to my birthday parties - but that's because every February 19th a plague hit my class.<br /></span><span><br />And suddenly, I was now </span><i>"Weird James"</i><span> at school.<br /></span><span><br />I was James the weird kid for years, up until the </span><i>weird</i><span> started to bleed over into the </span><i>queer</i><span>. It starts with the tingly feeling you get when you see Jerry O'Connell as the hotter brother in </span><i>"Sliders"</i><span> then as the dreamy boyfriend in </span><i>"Scream 2"</i><span> and by the time I got to Jerry O'Connell in </span><i>"Tomcats"</i><span> — I was GAY!<br /></span><span><br />I've been beaten up, chased home, and had things thrown at me. Taking the school bus filled me with dread. I was late to school for 6 months because I was afraid to stand at the school bus stop. It's impossible for me to write a coming out story since I've kinda always been out. I just didn't </span><i>know</i><span> it.<br /></span><span><br />By the time high school rolled around, I decided it was time to drop the facade and I came out at age 16. Like all of us, I was gayer, more louder, and draped in as much attention grabbing rainbow as I could find at your local Spencer's gifts. I was proud, and for the first time in my life, I felt unsinkable.<br /></span><span><br />But it took me a long time to learn what </span><i>"finding my tribe"</i><span> means. I went through a long period of finding friendship with other outcasts who needed companionship. And I also found the true </span><i>power</i><span> of being different.<br /></span><span><br />My message to queer kids today is: being gay is a beautiful thing, and it's a <i>gift</i>.<br /></span><span><br />It's a free pass to be the most interesting person in a group - unless of course someone in that group is a pro wrestler or a trapeze artist, then </span><i>they</i><span> are the most interesting person. But I'm sure they couldn't sing a Donna Summer medley worth a shit.<br /></span><span><br />In closing, I'd like to contact anyone with even the closest six degree of separation from Joss Whedon, to</span><span> let them know the </span><i>damage</i><span> has been </span><i>done</i><span>!</span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">_____________________________________________________</span></span></p></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Born-This-Way-Stories-Growing/dp/1594745994" target="_blank">Click here - "Born This Way: Real Stories of Growing Up Gay" book</a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://myfirstgaycrush.blogspot.com/">Click here - "My First Gay Crush Blog</a>"</b><br /><a class="twitter-share-button" data-hashtags="BornThisWay" data-related="BornThisWayBlog" data-url="http://bornthiswayblog.com" data-via="DJPaulV" href="https://twitter.com/share">Tweet</a>
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<script>!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');</script><a class="pin-it-button" count-layout="horizontal" href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=http://www.pinterest.com/BornThisWayBlog&media=https%3A%2F%2Fs-media-cache-ec1.pinimg.com%2Favatars%2Fbtwblog_1353518014_600.jpg&description=Born This Way Blog - A%20photo%2Fessay%20blog%20and%20book%20featuring%20childhood%20photos%20and%20the%20growing%20up%20stories%20of%20the%20LGBTQ%20community"><img border="0" src="//assets.pinterest.com/images/PinExt.png" title="Pin It" /></a></span>DJ Paul V.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18153342642716256652noreply@blogger.com0Madison, WI, USA43.0721661 -89.400750114.761932263821151 -124.5570001 71.382399936178842 -54.244500099999996tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907869562100366569.post-86162639093540519562020-08-07T09:20:00.001-07:002020-10-21T09:14:05.452-07:00Tommy<div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Tommy, age 9</b></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Bloomfield, New York (1989)</b></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;">In my photo, I'd just won 2nd place in the Hula Hoop contest at my Catholic church's spring picnic. I was quite proud of my ribbon hanging from my ear.<br /><br /></span><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-krmvhvtieNQ/Xy13hLzSoxI/AAAAAAAAHZU/SEL_5bemGk8nF-4DpxaykSwoCTtfCiU8wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1496/Tommy2_bornthiswayblog.com.jpg" style="display: inline; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1496" data-original-width="1265" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-krmvhvtieNQ/Xy13hLzSoxI/AAAAAAAAHZU/SEL_5bemGk8nF-4DpxaykSwoCTtfCiU8wCLcBGAsYHQ/w541-h640/Tommy2_bornthiswayblog.com.jpg" width="541" /></a><p></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My mom always said I <i>"walked like John Wayne"</i> but after watching home videos of me as a little kid, it was abundantly clear I did NOT walk like John Wayne. Not with that swish in my little hips! I was effeminate, plain and simple.<br /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />I loved playing with </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Tonka Trucks</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> and </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Hot Wheels</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">, and I also loved to sing and dance, but only when no one was looking or listening. Not because of the impression it gave, but because I didn't think I was very <i>good</i> at it.<br /></span><br />Around the same time, my babysitter was letting me wear her daughter's dresses and bought me girls' panties to wear. She understood me better than my family would probably ever admit. Love you, Mrs. K!<br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />I soon started watching "Who's The Boss" every chance I had so I could see Jonathan Pintauro as "Danny." By 12 I knew </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">exactly</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> why I liked him so much!<br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />I had a crush on a boy in middle and high school, and this caused me to "fear" I was gay, which was very difficult to admit to myself. Of course, I never asked him out. I dreamed of fooling around with him, but in real life I would have been thrilled if he had just held my hand.<br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />At age 19 I was in the military and living in California. I met a man 3 times my age and got into my first gay relationship. It didn't last long, as I had no idea who or what he was talking about most of the time. And I was probably a bit of a brat. Anyway, it proves that when it comes to relationships, sex isn't everything.<br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />I came out to my family only a few years ago, and I surprised no one.<br />And </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I have the wonderful blessing of family and friends who support me.<br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Today, I enjoy my career as a machinist, living my life as true as I can each day. <br />Although I have no boyfriend or husband now, I have no doubt that someone special is out there waiting for me. :)<br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />For those of you who are "different" - in <i>any</i> way - go ahead and OWN IT!<br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">You are who you are, and love yourself first!</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;">_________________________________________________________________</span></span></p></div><div><br /></div><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Born-This-Way-Stories-Growing/dp/1594745994" target="_blank">Click here - "Born This Way: Real Stories of Growing Up Gay" book</a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://myfirstgaycrush.blogspot.com/">Click here - "My First Gay Crush Blog</a>"</b><br />DJ Paul V.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18153342642716256652noreply@blogger.com0Bloomfield, NY 14469, USA42.8972624 -77.421427814.587028563821157 -112.5776778 71.207496236178855 -42.265177800000004tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907869562100366569.post-59508567007246624712020-01-01T12:53:00.001-08:002020-01-01T14:03:16.424-08:00David<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>David, age 12 </b></span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Tasmania, Australia (1963)</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">This photo of me was shot during my first year at high school, and was set up by a semi-professional photographer and friend of my father. I was posed in a cow paddock with Rani, our family dog. The picture was published on the front cover of a national magazine called "Health."<br /></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b4X3_Z51ggA/Xgz8vn1y0iI/AAAAAAAAHRY/ESeOzdFulJkcuwCXxWDmjdB-pnW7gFu9gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/David_bornthiswayblog.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1502" height="540" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b4X3_Z51ggA/Xgz8vn1y0iI/AAAAAAAAHRY/ESeOzdFulJkcuwCXxWDmjdB-pnW7gFu9gCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/David_bornthiswayblog.com.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">By this age I had questions about myself and knew that certain situations sparked my curiosity. But in 1963, there were no places to go to find answers.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I didn’t know the word to describe myself and no one at my school used the "F" word. And the word "</span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Gay"</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> just wasn't in the vocabulary.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I had a very happy upbringing at home, and was a straight A student at school. The other boys ridiculed my inability to catch a cricket ball or my failure to kick a football straight, but I was never bullied or belittled. And the guys came to me for help with their homework.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I was editor of the school magazine for two years and was on the student council. I was always a leader: popular, confident, optimistic and outgoing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">No one ever guessed that I was gay, least of all <i>myself</i>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I also read avidly. My favourite character was </span><i>William Brown</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">, a permanently 11-year old boy portrayed by Richmal Crompton in the 39 novels he wrote, starting with "Just William." He and his closest friend, <i>Ginger,</i> along with the other <i>Outlaws</i>, got up to all sorts of wild adventures, none of which I dared to copy!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I never missed watching "Leave It To Beaver" featuring the inquisitive and often naïve Theodore </span><i>“The Beaver”</i> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Cleaver, portrayed by Jerry Mathers. Only years later did I realise why I thought <i>Beaver</i> was the most handsome boy on TV.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I grew up in a conservative family and belonged to a strict Protestant church.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">My dad was a high-profile pastor known all over Australia, and everyone, <i>especially</i> my father, had the highest expectations for my behaviour.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Any deviation was frowned upon and could be punished.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">So </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I was eager to please my parents and happy to conform to their standards.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">But as a young adult, when I stepped outside those boundaries, I was wracked by guilt and smothered by shame. I carried that shame for decades, and it's one of the reasons for staying in the closet for so long.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Then at the age of 55, I saw the movie "Brokeback Mountain."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">And the result was a tsunami of grief and despair.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I decided the pain of staying in the closet exceeded the shame in coming out.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">So I soon came out to my family, moved 1000 miles, started a new job, and bought a house. I also met a wonderful man who is now my husband of 12 years, and we couldn’t be any happier. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">More info on my life today can be found </span><a href="https://findingout.webs.com/" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank"><b>here</b></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">And when I look at this picture now, I wish I could tell my 12-year-old self:<br /><i>"Don’t worry. The answers will come. Life does get better!"</i></span><br />
<i>____________________________________________________</i><br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Born-This-Way-Stories-Growing/dp/1594745994" target="_blank">Click here - "Born This Way: Real Stories of Growing Up Gay" book</a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://myfirstgaycrush.blogspot.com/">Click here - "My First Gay Crush Blog</a>"</b><br />
<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/2324512/?claim=xhat9uztwm6"><b>Click to follow this blog with Bloglovin'</b></a>DJ Paul V.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18153342642716256652noreply@blogger.com0Tasmania, Australia-41.4545196 145.97066470000004-47.5322466 135.64351620000005 -35.376792599999995 156.29781320000004tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907869562100366569.post-72635535699952892902019-10-23T14:36:00.000-07:002019-10-23T14:36:31.810-07:00Doug<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Doug, age 3</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Pacific Palisades, California (1952)</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">In the 6th grade, I found myself looking at my classmate Steven, and thinking about his cute butt. This frightened me, because I knew I should only have those thoughts and feelings about girls. I had been told that homosexuals were <i>'alcoholics who have sex in alleys,'</i> and they were <i>'filthy, amoral individuals who should be condemned,'</i> and not even pitied. And, that they ended up in jail.<br /></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qk9yTDmAzMg/XbC6_pwAZZI/AAAAAAAAHOQ/IpdhSJ4TpCMt93YIFPiwYb4_K8FljrsYgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Doug_bornthiswayblog.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2030" data-original-width="1065" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qk9yTDmAzMg/XbC6_pwAZZI/AAAAAAAAHOQ/IpdhSJ4TpCMt93YIFPiwYb4_K8FljrsYgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Doug_bornthiswayblog.com.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">At age 17, I had a crush on one of my best friends which I only later expressed by mail when we went to colleges on opposite ends of the country. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">He eventually stopped responding to my letters.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">During my college years, I had romantic relationships with two girls and was attracted to several others</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I really wanted to have a girlfriend and eventually be married. However, I was only physically attracted to my <i>male</i> classmates.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I was determined not to be gay, but I couldn't deny my feelings.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">During my 20's, my pattern was to develop close, non-physical friendships with my male friends, and after many months, pursue a physical relationship.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">While they rejected those advances, not one of them rejected me as a friend.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">During the early to mid 70's, gay support groups began to develop on college campuses. I hung around one outside once, but I never went in. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">My eventual first physical relationship was with a male I had known for 12 months and for whom I was an "experiment" gone awry. Meaning: being gay wasn't for him.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">At age 30, I was up late with an older woman I worked for who was attempting to seduce me. Getting tired of the charade, she finally blurted out:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>'You're another faggot, aren't you?!'</i> And I said, <i>"I guess so."</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I eventually lost 60 pounds, got fit, cut my long, 60's-style hair, and decided to look for men whom I knew were already gay. Duh, lightbulb moment!
My first gay night out started at bars in the Los Angeles area: The Rawhide, Woody's Hyperion, The Apache, and The Eagle. When I walked into The Rawhide, I knew that I was <i>finally </i>where I belonged. Actual tears of joy!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Next was coming out to my three sisters and parents. I made an appointment at my father's office to have "the conversation." He started by saying, <i>'Your older sister married that horse's ass we told her not to marry. And now they're divorced, and she's living with a man who is ten years younger than her!'</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I only wanted to tell him that I'm gay, but he launched-forth again, saying:<br /> <i>'And your <u>younger</u> sister is dating a damn Mexican!</i>' As he looked appalled.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">He then asked me, <i>'So, Doug, what did you want to talk about?'</i><br />I wanted to say, <i>"Dad, you ain't heard <u>nothin'</u> yet!" </i>but I didn't.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I waited a week to tell him. I think he already knew but didn't want to face the inevitable. He</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> asked me, </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">'Is this something you <u>want</u> to do or something you feel <u>compelled</u> to do?'</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> I just said, </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">"Both."</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> His face filled with disappointment and resignation, and he asked: </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">'Is there anything I can do to help?'</i><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Both my parents were accepting of me, but just barely.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I spent 20 years of my life rejecting my true self -- what a waste. If I had it to do all over again, I would have started in high school to develop positive, physical relationships with male friends, instead of avoiding my true feelings.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Of course, that's much easier today than it was in the mid-60's.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">My advice is for the LGBTQ youth of today is trite, but true: be your true self.</span><br />
__________________________________________________<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Born-This-Way-Stories-Growing/dp/1594745994" target="_blank">Click here - "Born This Way: Real Stories of Growing Up Gay" book</a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://myfirstgaycrush.blogspot.com/">Click here - "My First Gay Crush Blog</a>"</b><br />
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<script>!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');</script><a class="pin-it-button" count-layout="horizontal" href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=http://www.pinterest.com/BornThisWayBlog&media=https%3A%2F%2Fs-media-cache-ec1.pinimg.com%2Favatars%2Fbtwblog_1353518014_600.jpg&description=Born%20This%20Way%20Blog%20-%20A%20photo%2Fessay%20blog%20and%20book%20featuring%20childhood%20photos%20and%20the%20growing%20up%20stories%20of%20the%20LGBTQ%20community"><img border="0" src="//assets.pinterest.com/images/PinExt.png" title="Pin It" /></a>DJ Paul V.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18153342642716256652noreply@blogger.com0Unknown location.34.541531269402867 -119.161917274757427.564506269402866 -129.48906577475739 41.518556269402865 -108.83476877475741tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907869562100366569.post-30211223257191313172019-08-11T15:13:00.000-07:002019-08-11T15:13:23.454-07:00Andrea<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Andrea, age 3<br />Baltimore, Maryland (1993)</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I had <i>no</i> clue that I was gay while growing up. Looking back, there honestly weren't many clues, as I was obsessed with many typically "girly" things. I loved baby dolls, my <i>Littlest Pet Shop</i>, and my princess nightgowns.<br /></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1DgxW_hF6Gg/XVCL2pSGrGI/AAAAAAAAHHw/0QUVsx6ezaIl2j7H-yKp1zhOAtLS7lfdQCLcBGAs/s1600/Andrea_bornthiswayblog.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="496" data-original-width="430" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1DgxW_hF6Gg/XVCL2pSGrGI/AAAAAAAAHHw/0QUVsx6ezaIl2j7H-yKp1zhOAtLS7lfdQCLcBGAs/s400/Andrea_bornthiswayblog.com.jpg" width="287" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Although I had a tomboy streak,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I largely attribute that to growing up with a twin brother. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Everything</i> between us was a competition, but there was <i>nothing </i>to hint at my future sexuality.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">In fact, it took me well into my college years to begin to question things. I developed a significant crush on one of my roommates during junior and senior year but was too oblivious (and definitely subconsciously afraid) to act on it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It wasn't until I was age 23 that I officially told my family that I was interested in girls.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />I'm one of the lucky ones, as I was born into a family that has absolutely no issues with my gayness. My siblings and I were encouraged to play with whatever toys we wanted and to explore extracurricular activities we were drawn to, regardless of whether they were stereotypically male or female centric. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">So I didn't have to worry that I would be treated any differently once I came out. And thankfully, I haven't been.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">My only regret is that I didn't realize I was gay until so relatively late.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I think that if I had had more contact with gay people growing up, perhaps it would have occurred to me earlier than it did.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">My wife knew she was gay significantly earlier than I did. She says she thinks this is largely due to the number of other gay girls she came in contact with growing up, especially while playing elite level soccer in England.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">At any rate, I am now happily married and, although we currently live in Mississippi (where being openly gay can still be a bit of a crap shoot when it comes to acceptance), we have amazing family and friends and we're looking forward to starting a family in the near future.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">___________________________________________________</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Born-This-Way-Stories-Growing/dp/1594745994" target="_blank">Click here - "Born This Way: Real Stories of Growing Up Gay" book</a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://myfirstgaycrush.blogspot.com/">Click here - "My First Gay Crush Blog</a>"</b><br />
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<script>!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');</script><a class="pin-it-button" count-layout="horizontal" href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=http://www.pinterest.com/BornThisWayBlog&media=https%3A%2F%2Fs-media-cache-ec1.pinimg.com%2Favatars%2Fbtwblog_1353518014_600.jpg&description=Born%20This%20Way%20Blog%20-%20A%20photo%2Fessay%20blog%20and%20book%20featuring%20childhood%20photos%20and%20the%20growing%20up%20stories%20of%20the%20LGBTQ%20community"><img border="0" src="//assets.pinterest.com/images/PinExt.png" title="Pin It" /></a>DJ Paul V.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18153342642716256652noreply@blogger.com0Baltimore, MD, USA39.2903848 -76.61218930000001139.0937408 -76.9349128 39.4870288 -76.289465800000016tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907869562100366569.post-31023081362377283352019-03-29T10:58:00.000-07:002019-03-29T17:56:20.033-07:00Mike<b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">Mike, age 9</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">Indianapolis, Indiana (1957)</span></b><br />
<br />
Here I am in one of my frequent sassy moods, chastising the photographer for taking my picture. I was always very outspoken, but at the same time, I was painfully shy and introverted. Both sides of my personality existed and sometimes one dominated, sometimes the other.<br />
<br />
My grade school teacher once sent home a note telling my Mother that:<br />
<i>"Michael likes to entertain his friends in class."</i><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ekWnq5qjElk/XJ5Sohn-FuI/AAAAAAAAG3k/biaQ59pdt1cqR9jRgYJdw_jkZA2OA4lVACLcBGAs/s1600/Mike_bornthiswayblog.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="714" data-original-width="618" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ekWnq5qjElk/XJ5Sohn-FuI/AAAAAAAAG3k/biaQ59pdt1cqR9jRgYJdw_jkZA2OA4lVACLcBGAs/s400/Mike_bornthiswayblog.com.jpg" width="321" /></a></div>
Strangely, when it came to bullying, I only remember one time, when I was 10.<br />
<br />
A big neighborhood bully stopped me on the street and asked me if I knew I was queer?<br />
<br />
I told him: <i>Yes, I knew that!</i><br />
<br />
That stopped him dead in his tracks and he left me alone!<br />
<br />
At that time growing up in the 50's and early 60's, and wanting to avoid trouble, I never forced the issue and never came out to anybody.<br />
<br />
<br />
I grew up in a home where things like being gay weren't discussed, so I was very ignorant of the fact that we are <i>everywhere</i> and we are just as good as anybody else! I was just <i>me</i>, and most kids and even grownups just accepted me as I was.<br />
<br />
I had my first crush on another boy when I was 11 while in the <i>Boy Scouts</i>.<br />
He was an older man: <i>12 years old!</i> I worshipped him from afar, but never had the courage to go up and speak to him. And I'm sure he never even noticed I existed.
But he was gorgeous, like a very young and hot Elvis Presley.<br />
<br />
It wasn't until I was 14 and in high school that I started to realize I had actual physical attractions to other boys and romantic feelings for some.
And I soon met some other gay boys at school. I went to a very large high school with 4,000 students, so there were several boys there who <i>clearly</i> stood out as gay because they were so very obvious. They couldn't hide it even if they wanted to.<br />
<br />
Those other gay boys I met were my first introduction to what other kids similar to me must be like. I was glad to know I wasn't the only one! They instinctively knew I was "one of them" and would talk to me as we walked to classes.<br />
<br />
However, I noticed that all of them were mercilessly bullied every day in school. And that made me feel terrible and very bad for them. But I knew if I spoke up in their defense, that I'd get beaten up too. And that made me feel <i>worse</i>. So I kept a low profile and tried to just fade into the background so I didn't stand out.<br />
<br />
I tried to deny to myself that I might be gay for many years, but I knew it was true. And I finally decided to accept myself as I am in my early 20's.<br />
<br />
To all the gay kids and young people of today, all I can say is be true to yourself. You may encounter people who will be mean and hateful toward you and who will try to make you feel bad about yourselves - but do not let them.<br />
<br />
<i>They </i>are the bad people -- not you! Just have the courage to be yourself.<br />
Not everyone will like you, but the <i>right</i> people <i>will</i>!<br />
___________________________________________________<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Born-This-Way-Stories-Growing/dp/1594745994" target="_blank">Click here - "Born This Way: Real Stories of Growing Up Gay" book</a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://myfirstgaycrush.blogspot.com/">Click here - "My First Gay Crush Blog</a>"</b><br />
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<script>!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');</script><a class="pin-it-button" count-layout="horizontal" href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=http://www.pinterest.com/BornThisWayBlog&media=https%3A%2F%2Fs-media-cache-ec1.pinimg.com%2Favatars%2Fbtwblog_1353518014_600.jpg&description=Born%20This%20Way%20Blog%20-%20A%20photo%2Fessay%20blog%20and%20book%20featuring%20childhood%20photos%20and%20the%20growing%20up%20stories%20of%20the%20LGBTQ%20community"><img border="0" src="//assets.pinterest.com/images/PinExt.png" title="Pin It" /></a>DJ Paul V.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18153342642716256652noreply@blogger.com0Indianapolis, IN, USA39.768403 -86.15806800000001439.377911 -86.803515000000019 40.158895 -85.51262100000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907869562100366569.post-18119206153401093452018-05-07T13:46:00.001-07:002018-05-07T13:46:18.526-07:00Doug<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Doug, age 11</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Las Cruces, New Mexico (1981)</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm on the far left here, and the only one 'posing' in this picture of my siblings, cousins, and my grandfather. Like so many others, I too destroyed most photographic evidence of my gayness as a child, as it made me physically sick.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-on2VtnDoriY/WvC3_j3IeOI/AAAAAAAAGqA/rdbMA2CVJY80_t7XlxCdJsua0FqKGGAXwCLcBGAs/s1600/Doug_bornthiswayblog.com.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1566" data-original-width="1396" height="386" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-on2VtnDoriY/WvC3_j3IeOI/AAAAAAAAGqA/rdbMA2CVJY80_t7XlxCdJsua0FqKGGAXwCLcBGAs/s400/Doug_bornthiswayblog.com.JPG" width="520" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">As an adult, I tried to be straight. So I got married to a woman.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">We had two wonderful children together, but my secret was destroying not only my life, but my most important family members as well.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">After finally coming out at age 36, my wife and I moved through our divorce as painlessly as we could and we remain great friends.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">My kids are successful because of the love my ex-wife and I still share.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">And today, we have each remarried -- both of us to amazing men!</span><br />
_____________________________________________________<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Born-This-Way-Stories-Growing/dp/1594745994" target="_blank">Click here - "Born This Way: Real Stories of Growing Up Gay" book</a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://myfirstgaycrush.blogspot.com/">Click here - "My First Gay Crush Blog</a>"</b><br />
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<script>!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');</script><a class="pin-it-button" count-layout="horizontal" href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=http://www.pinterest.com/BornThisWayBlog&media=https%3A%2F%2Fs-media-cache-ec1.pinimg.com%2Favatars%2Fbtwblog_1353518014_600.jpg&description=Born%20This%20Way%20Blog%20-%20A%20photo%2Fessay%20blog%20and%20book%20featuring%20childhood%20photos%20and%20the%20growing%20up%20stories%20of%20the%20LGBTQ%20community"><img border="0" src="//assets.pinterest.com/images/PinExt.png" title="Pin It" /></a>DJ Paul V.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18153342642716256652noreply@blogger.com2Las Cruces, NM, USA32.3199396 -106.7636537999999932.1052981 -107.08637729999998 32.5345811 -106.44093029999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907869562100366569.post-35211166337509021392018-02-13T15:06:00.000-08:002018-02-13T15:06:59.094-08:00Samantha<b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">Samantha, age 3</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">Wildomar, California (2001)</span></b><br />
<br />
I’m the one in the diaper with all my brothers and three family friends in the back. It was my birthday and everybody had been wearing boxers the whole day so, obviously, I was in my pull up! My mom made everyone "dress up" for pictures -- but I refused.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-m6vBbtQfIpo/WoNtP-NhMsI/AAAAAAAAGgA/tzDo0S5sZ8IbV4WvojFOPkCfPORcEJcPwCLcBGAs/s1600/Samantha_bornthiswayblog.com.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1076" data-original-width="1600" height="348" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-m6vBbtQfIpo/WoNtP-NhMsI/AAAAAAAAGgA/tzDo0S5sZ8IbV4WvojFOPkCfPORcEJcPwCLcBGAs/s400/Samantha_bornthiswayblog.com.bmp" width="500" /></a></div>
<br />
I was always naked back then.
I didn’t even know the difference between boys and girls until I had to use a separate bathroom in first grade.<br />
<br />
Being raised with seven boys made me think <i>I</i> was a boy, too. I just didn’t know any different. I wore their hand-me-downs, and we played with (and destroyed) toys together. It was just my life.<br />
<br />
I didn’t know what gay was until my dad told me never to come home with another girl or he’d kick me out. I wouldn’t even hold my best friend's hand in school for fear of being seen as gay. But I wore the label “Tomboy” proudly in my oversized T-shirts and baseball caps!<br />
<br />
Seventeen years after this photo was taken, me and two of the boys behind me are proudly gay. Both parents struggled with it, but they’ve been so supportive. They love me and I’m so grateful to have them.<br />
<br />
After depression, anxiety, suicide attempts, and self harm, I’m <i>much</i> better now. I’m in college and proudly lesbian. I love who I am and I’m not ashamed of it.<br />
___________________________________________________<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Born-This-Way-Stories-Growing/dp/1594745994" target="_blank">Click here - "Born This Way: Real Stories of Growing Up Gay" book</a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://myfirstgaycrush.blogspot.com/">Click here - "My First Gay Crush Blog</a>"</b><br />
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<script>!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');</script><a class="pin-it-button" count-layout="horizontal" href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=http://www.pinterest.com/BornThisWayBlog&media=https%3A%2F%2Fs-media-cache-ec1.pinimg.com%2Favatars%2Fbtwblog_1353518014_600.jpg&description=Born%20This%20Way%20Blog%20-%20A%20photo%2Fessay%20blog%20and%20book%20featuring%20childhood%20photos%20and%20the%20growing%20up%20stories%20of%20the%20LGBTQ%20community"><img border="0" src="//assets.pinterest.com/images/PinExt.png" title="Pin It" /></a>DJ Paul V.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18153342642716256652noreply@blogger.com0Wildomar, CA, USA33.5989126 -117.2800371999999833.493127099999995 -117.44139869999998 33.7046981 -117.11867569999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907869562100366569.post-8699452087276367062017-11-13T11:39:00.000-08:002017-11-13T11:39:50.793-08:00Ryan<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Ryan, age 8,</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Quezon City, Philippines (1990)</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I grew up a poor, black child....oh wait. Wrong story! :) Growing up in the Philippines, being a flamboyant young boy wasn't an issue. And luckily, I grew up with not only my family's support, but also the support of my friends. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zXWaKp1UPYQ/WgnxAthcBSI/AAAAAAAAGZk/w7i5SieOsCct-MfW-weDccH22CN8rpWpACLcBGAs/s1600/Ongina%2Bcopy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1444" height="540" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zXWaKp1UPYQ/WgnxAthcBSI/AAAAAAAAGZk/w7i5SieOsCct-MfW-weDccH22CN8rpWpACLcBGAs/s640/Ongina%2Bcopy.JPG" width="476" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The topic of sexuality and being gay was not yet discussed at that time. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">But what I know is that everyone saw that I was happy, and they let me be me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">And I do remember when I was age 11, I told my parents I was going to the neighborhood fiesta. I left the house in a white T-shirt and cut off denim shorts and my "<i>tsinelas</i>" - they are also known as flip flops. I joined the masses to enjoy the festival until I heard a popular song being played in a distance.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I walked over to see what was happening. A crowd had gathered to where the song was playing, and I saw a few girls dancing in formation to the beat.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The song was called “Aringkingkingking" - and I have no idea what that means! But in a quick instance, without even a thought, I tied a knot on my white</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">T-shirt, just above my left hip </span>to bare my mid-drift<span style="font-family: inherit;">, and I joined the dance.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I copied every step, every move, and every flare. I was happy and overjoyed, especially when the crowd erupted in cheers and applause!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">This story has nothing to do with my picture here, but I thought it was a perfect memory to share. However, I DO think this picture perfectly sums up me, my fashion sense, and my ability to coordinate clothing at an early age.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I mean, only us — those who are a little different, a little or a lot gay — can put together prints serving a BATMAN look, and know the world can't tell you SHIT — because you <i>OWN</i> it!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Of course, when asked to pose - even as a young child - there was always a little sass and a little flirt in my pictures. This image couldn't be <i>anymore</i> ME, and proves that I was BORN THIS WAY!</span><br />
_______________________________________________________<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Born-This-Way-Stories-Growing/dp/1594745994" target="_blank">Click here - "Born This Way: Real Stories of Growing Up Gay" book</a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://myfirstgaycrush.blogspot.com/">Click here - "My First Gay Crush Blog</a>"</b><br />
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<script>!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');</script><a class="pin-it-button" count-layout="horizontal" href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=http://www.pinterest.com/BornThisWayBlog&media=https%3A%2F%2Fs-media-cache-ec1.pinimg.com%2Favatars%2Fbtwblog_1353518014_600.jpg&description=Born%20This%20Way%20Blog%20-%20A%20photo%2Fessay%20blog%20and%20book%20featuring%20childhood%20photos%20and%20the%20growing%20up%20stories%20of%20the%20LGBTQ%20community"><img border="0" src="//assets.pinterest.com/images/PinExt.png" title="Pin It" /></a>DJ Paul V.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18153342642716256652noreply@blogger.com3Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines14.6760413 121.0437002999999514.4302808 120.72097679999996 14.921801799999999 121.36642379999995tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907869562100366569.post-84775043660163887092017-08-28T10:10:00.000-07:002017-08-28T10:14:01.771-07:00Kelly<b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">Kelly, age 9</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">Cordell, Oklahoma (1986)</span></b><br />
<br />
I was born n' raised in a small rural town in Oklahoma. My Daddy was the high school football coach, my brother was the all-star athlete, and my uncle (my Dad's older brother) is Mickey Mantle of the New York Yankees. No big deal, he's just mentioned right up there with <i>Uncle Sam</i>, apple pie, and <i>Jesus Christ</i>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G7BA06FhbSg/WaRKIS6p2xI/AAAAAAAAGUY/RQFaCh6RDJ0L7TwpOrAx9NkkkYh4cbLDwCLcBGAs/s1600/KellyMantle_Santa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1097" height="505" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G7BA06FhbSg/WaRKIS6p2xI/AAAAAAAAGUY/RQFaCh6RDJ0L7TwpOrAx9NkkkYh4cbLDwCLcBGAs/s400/KellyMantle_Santa.jpg" width="343" /></a></div>
And then there was <i>ME</i>!<br />
<br />
Townsfolk would ask, <i>"Kelly...you gonna grow up and be a famous baseball player like your Uncle Mickey?”</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>'No,'</i> I'd say. <i>'When I grow up, I'm gonna be a black soul singer just like Diana Ross.' </i><br />
<br />
Because one is just about as likely as the other.<br />
<br />
The only thing Uncle Mickey and I had in common was switch-hitting!<br />
<br />
As a kid, I used to dress up in Grandma's clothes and play Dolly Parton songs on my lil' geetar.<br />
<br />
And they had no clue what the hell was happening!<br />
<br />
But regardless, I was blessed with parents who always encouraged me to embrace my differences and “eccentricities.” They accepted me as every parent should for their child! Bless their wrinkled little hearts.<br />
<br />
And as you can see in this picture, I LOVED being a little girly-boy. I think I had just told Santa that I wanted a <i>Barbie</i>, a boy, and some boobies! It made him very uncomfortable, and I didn't understand why.
Because I loved being different than my peers, and I wasn't ashamed to be me.<br />
<br />
That's a true testament to my upbringing.<br />
<br />
But, like most of us, I had my fair share of getting bullied from time to time. Usually from kids from other schools at out-of-town events. Their favorite taunt was always <i>"Are you a boyyyy or a girrrrl?" </i>And I'd say <i>'Both!'</i> Like it was a bad thing? I never could figure that out. Who wouldn't wanna be <i>both</i>?<br />
<br />
Luckily, because of our LGBTQ pioneers that came before me, we now have terminology that kids can use today. In my case, it would be "gender-fluid."<br />
Or as I prefer, "two-spirit" because after all I AM a Cherokee Native American Poke-A-Hot-Ass from Oklahomo.<br />
<br />
So when I look at this picture of me and Santa, that's who I see — a late blooming two-spirited little gender-fluid kid, almost too comfortable in my own skin — but unsure how to explain it to others. Yet, never afraid to show it or be it, and most importantly — never once told to hide it.<br />
<br />
And that would be my Christmas wish to Santa today — for every little boy and girl and in-between to be given the freedom to be in love with yourself exactly as you are! And to realize that when another person tries to hurt you, <i>they're</i> actually the one who's hurting.<br />
<br />
Because people who love themselves, don't hurt others.<br />
So don't ever let anyone change who you were born to be.<br />
<br />
I’m <b><a href="https://twitter.com/thekellymantle" target="_blank">Kelly Mantle</a></b>, and I was BORN THIS WAY!
<br />
______________________________________________________<br />
<br />
<div class="p1">
<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Born-This-Way-Stories-Growing/dp/1594745994" target="_blank">Click here - "Born This Way: Real Stories of Growing Up Gay" book</a></b></div>
<b><a href="http://myfirstgaycrush.blogspot.com/">Click here - "My First Gay Crush Blog</a>"</b><br />
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</style>DJ Paul V.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18153342642716256652noreply@blogger.com1New Cordell, OK 73632, USA35.291271 -98.98762269999997435.2394325 -99.068303699999973 35.343109500000004 -98.906941699999976tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907869562100366569.post-6728614438094987482017-07-05T11:28:00.000-07:002017-07-05T11:28:49.081-07:00Candace<b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">Candace, age 3</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">Panama City, Florida (1970)</span></b><br />
<florida><br /></florida>
<florida>I don't remember who owned this motorcycle in my photo.</florida><br />
<florida>But I <i>do</i> remember that if my brother thought it was cool, well - so did I!</florida><br />
<florida><br /></florida>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hL2F5lIm0mg/WV0sZi3onFI/AAAAAAAAGRo/r1CKB1yze-weEOnpMap4Jide9Gwtb5L1QCLcBGAs/s1600/Candace_bornthisblog.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="556" data-original-width="608" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hL2F5lIm0mg/WV0sZi3onFI/AAAAAAAAGRo/r1CKB1yze-weEOnpMap4Jide9Gwtb5L1QCLcBGAs/s400/Candace_bornthisblog.com.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
<florida><br /></florida>
This little tomboy was raised in a Southern Baptist home in northern Florida, and I was taught forgiveness and to love your neighbor as yourself. I was what you would call "all in" and I was very involved with the church as a young girl.<br />
<florida><br /></florida>
<florida>Since no one in my life ever discussed gay people and I was taught "Christian love,"
I was completely unprepared for the total rejection I received from my church and family when I came out. </florida><br />
<florida><br /></florida>
<florida>Today, I still consider myself a recovering Southern Baptist.</florida><br />
<florida><br /></florida>
<florida>Yes, 2017 is a world away the 1980's. But figuring out who you are is difficult for any kid, especially for GLBTQ youth living in a far right, Christian home.</florida><br />
<florida><br /></florida>
<florida>While I had little support from my family
I did find support from the GLBTQ community. That "family" saved me. </florida><br />
<florida><br /></florida>
<florida>So to all GLBTQ youth: You are loved!</florida><br />
<florida>And to the families of these kids: Love them, period! </florida><br />
<florida>______________________________________________________</florida><br />
<florida><br /></florida>
<florida><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Born-This-Way-Stories-Growing/dp/1594745994" target="_blank">Click here - "Born This Way: Real Stories of Growing Up Gay" book</a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://myfirstgaycrush.blogspot.com/">Click here - "My First Gay Crush Blog</a>"</b><br />
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<script>!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');</script><a class="pin-it-button" count-layout="horizontal" href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=http://www.pinterest.com/BornThisWayBlog&media=https%3A%2F%2Fs-media-cache-ec1.pinimg.com%2Favatars%2Fbtwblog_1353518014_600.jpg&description=Born%20This%20Way%20Blog%20-%20A%20photo%2Fessay%20blog%20and%20book%20featuring%20childhood%20photos%20and%20the%20growing%20up%20stories%20of%20the%20LGBTQ%20community"><img border="0" src="//assets.pinterest.com/images/PinExt.png" title="Pin It" /></a></florida>DJ Paul V.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18153342642716256652noreply@blogger.com0Panama City, FL, USA30.1588129 -85.66020579999997229.939244900000002 -85.982929299999967 30.3783809 -85.337482299999976tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907869562100366569.post-54305480150540413572017-05-04T12:27:00.000-07:002017-05-04T12:27:35.212-07:00Tony<b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">Tony, age 6</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">Natchez, Mississippi (1973) </span></b><br />
<br />
I'm on the left in my photo, with my little brother. I grew up in the deep south in a very Christian town. Although we moved around a lot, we always ended up back in Natchez.
I knew I was gay as far back as I can remember. I didn't know the term "gay" but I knew I enjoyed being around other boys my age.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-x1DFDUeLMBQ/WQt6_Yk5zgI/AAAAAAAAGPM/eYsMhDau1S03Q1r6DUnYS9J5v0U7Nx-LQCLcB/s1600/Tony_bornthiswayblog.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="396" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-x1DFDUeLMBQ/WQt6_Yk5zgI/AAAAAAAAGPM/eYsMhDau1S03Q1r6DUnYS9J5v0U7Nx-LQCLcB/s400/Tony_bornthiswayblog.com.jpg" width="470" /></a></div>
<br />
I would stay at my grandmother's house a lot, which was the best place in the world to me. My grandmother had 5 daughters and she kept all of their things in what was called the 'toy room.'<br />
<br />
I was always dressing up in my aunt's prom dress with all of its pink tulle and fluff, wearing her platform clogs and painting my nails with magic markers.<br />
<br />
I loved playing with <i>Barbies</i> and their 70's play sets. I was always putting <i>Barbie</i> and her friends in different hairdo's and fancy dresses, because they were always going to fancy parties. And not just <i>one</i> party, but several a day. Every few minutes they had to run home for a complete makeover for the next party.<br />
<br />
And my <i>Miss Piggy</i> puppet was the best thing in my world!!! She and I were inseparable. I would give her amazing hairstyles and make outfits for her.<br />
<br />
I also remember sitting on the shag carpet in our living room, watching something on TV by myself. It must have had mermaids in it, because I rolled myself up in a blanket - and I was a instant mermaid!<br />
<br />
I remember my mom walking in, and asking me what I was doing.<br />
I said, <i>"I'm a mermaid!!!"</i><br />
<br />
Well, that didn't sit well with my mother. And I didn't understand why she gave me such a weird look after I said I was a mermaid.<br />
<br />
Around 8 years old, I remember having a crush on a boy in my class that I thought the world of. I even remember his name -- Billy. I would stare at him in class wondering what it would be like to hold hands and kiss him.<br />
<br />
As I got older, things got pretty bad. Kids in Jr. High knew I was different, even though I tried to hide being gay. But the other kids knew. I was always being threatened to be beaten up on a daily basis, to the point I would break out in hives on my wrists everyday before school.<br />
<br />
It wasn't any better at home. My father was a sociopath and was extremely mentally abusive. My mom was so busy dealing with him that she only found relief in her Pentecostal church, where I was told I was going to hell for being gay. And those kids at church were more evil than the kids at school!<br />
<br />
Looking back, my fondest memories are about my grandmother and her amazing amount of love, because she allowed me to be me without judgement.<br />
<br />
That was the world I had at her house, and I'm eternally grateful to her for that.<br />
<br />
I do have a happy ending, though. As a young adult, I met a guy in town and I fell in love. And as soon as I turned 18 we moved to Atlanta, Georgia.<br />
<br />
Today, I live in Los Angeles and have made my truest home here.<br>I love my life now and wouldn't change it for anybody else's life!!!
<br />
______________________________________________________<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Born-This-Way-Stories-Growing/dp/1594745994" target="_blank">Click here - "Born This Way: Real Stories of Growing Up Gay" book</a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://myfirstgaycrush.blogspot.com/">Click here - "My First Gay Crush Blog</a>"</b><br />
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</style>DJ Paul V.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18153342642716256652noreply@blogger.com0Natchez, MS 39120, USA31.5604442 -91.40317100000004331.452185699999998 -91.564532500000041 31.6687027 -91.241809500000045tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907869562100366569.post-53957537288012664152017-04-20T12:06:00.000-07:002017-04-20T12:06:59.313-07:00Karli<b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">Karli, age 4</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">Courtice, Ontario, Canada (2001)</span></b><br />
<br />
Growing up, I was always a tomboy of sorts. I preferred to play with boys as a kid, I always wanted the "boy toy" from McDonalds, and I always preferred movies where the lead female was the hero rather than being a helpless princess.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cyZ4eIehQHU/WPkDVlPUgEI/AAAAAAAAGOw/_F72Qm6Ums4coWikJ82YkOElKpdf5ubbgCLcB/s1600/Karli_bornthiswayblog.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="412" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cyZ4eIehQHU/WPkDVlPUgEI/AAAAAAAAGOw/_F72Qm6Ums4coWikJ82YkOElKpdf5ubbgCLcB/s640/Karli_bornthiswayblog.com.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<br />
You can even see the difference in these pictures: the extremely fake smile that I had while dressed as a princess, compared to the one I was dressed as a cowgirl, taken either moments before or after.<br />
<br />
In Canada, our junior kindergarten school pictures were done in costume to be "fun" for young kids. I remember that day very specifically, because I wanted to dress as the knight, having picked that from the table of costumes.<br />
<br />
But I was told I wasn't allowed to because it was one of the "boy costumes," and they made me wear the princess one. I was much happier with the cowgirl outfit, especially since "Toy Story 2" was one of my favorite movies.<br />
<br />
This was probably the first time I felt that society was telling me I couldn't be who I wanted to be.<br />
<br />
Thankfully, my parents didn't care how I dressed or what toys I wanted to play with when I was younger, proven to me more when I was 5 and I dressed as <i>Spider-Man</i> for Halloween.<br />
<br />
Luckily, my generation is growing up in a time where gender non-conformity is not that big a deal. When I eventually came out, my parents weren't too shocked and they accepted me wholeheartedly.<br />
<br />
I always find it funny to look back at these two pictures because it's very obvious which costume I was more comfortable in.<br />
______________________________________________________<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Born-This-Way-Stories-Growing/dp/1594745994" target="_blank">Click here - "Born This Way: Real Stories of Growing Up Gay" book</a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://myfirstgaycrush.blogspot.com/">Click here - "My First Gay Crush Blog</a>"</b><br />
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</style>DJ Paul V.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18153342642716256652noreply@blogger.com0Courtice, ON, Canada43.9109352 -78.78844679999997443.8194132 -78.949808299999972 44.002457199999995 -78.627085299999976tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907869562100366569.post-70422950159541903592017-03-24T12:28:00.000-07:002017-03-24T12:28:48.986-07:00John<b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">John, age 7</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">Pierre Part, Louisiana (1996)</span></b><br />
<br />
I grew up in a small bayou town.<br />
My mom was a single mother who loved dressing up and going out.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_d-ICftHwxw/WNVvxozNOOI/AAAAAAAAGOM/z2P89F0DIZ03sGngHhzGv6cWOMkygwxpQCLcB/s1600/John_bornthiswayblog.com.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="585" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_d-ICftHwxw/WNVvxozNOOI/AAAAAAAAGOM/z2P89F0DIZ03sGngHhzGv6cWOMkygwxpQCLcB/s640/John_bornthiswayblog.com.png" width="355" /></a></div>
I almost always copied her style in the male form and I loved having grown up with confidence taught.<br />
<br />
But that didn't last long.<br />
<br />
In the world, and even inside our own gay community, people are picked apart.<br />
<br />
And now I find myself grasping to find some self-confidence.<br />
<br />
I think the most important message I want to send out is to always keep that confidence.<br />
<br />
And I don't mean fake confidence.<br />
<br />
Someone will love every part of you, so what I'm trying to say is:<br />
<br />
Own <i>all</i> that you are!<br />
<br />
I hate the whole masculine/feminine label, because I am personally the "/" symbol in that equation.<br />
<br />
Remember that no matter who you are, you are a snowflake and you are unique and deserve to be a part of this world. You deserve to breathe and conquer!<br />
____________________________________________________<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Born-This-Way-Stories-Growing/dp/1594745994" target="_blank">Click here - "Born This Way: Real Stories of Growing Up Gay" book</a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://myfirstgaycrush.blogspot.com/">Click here - "My First Gay Crush Blog</a>"</b><br />
<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/2324512/?claim=xhat9uztwm6"><b>Click to follow this blog with Bloglovin'</b></a>
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<script>!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');</script><a class="pin-it-button" count-layout="horizontal" href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=http://www.pinterest.com/BornThisWayBlog&media=https%3A%2F%2Fs-media-cache-ec1.pinimg.com%2Favatars%2Fbtwblog_1353518014_600.jpg&description=Born%20This%20Way%20Blog%20-%20A%20photo%2Fessay%20blog%20and%20book%20featuring%20childhood%20photos%20and%20the%20growing%20up%20stories%20of%20the%20LGBTQ%20community"><img border="0" src="//assets.pinterest.com/images/PinExt.png" title="Pin It" /></a>DJ Paul V.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18153342642716256652noreply@blogger.com2Pierre Part, LA 70339, USA29.9652016 -91.20315929999998229.8551416 -91.36452079999998 30.0752616 -91.041797799999983tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907869562100366569.post-67851613705913919702017-02-15T13:29:00.000-08:002017-02-15T13:29:12.066-08:00Nathan<b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">Nathan, age 12<br />Springfield, Missouri (1994)</span></b><br />
<br />
I remember when I was younger being bullied and teased. I felt differently than other boys at around the age of 6 or so. And I started to get bullied when I was finishing up my elementary years in the 5th grade.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ChSKRVje8rc/WKTE5OT31tI/AAAAAAAAGNg/-huBATtSvDgrBy9ACQyDt5E84s9Z89DewCLcB/s1600/Nathan_bornthiswayblog.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="365" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ChSKRVje8rc/WKTE5OT31tI/AAAAAAAAGNg/-huBATtSvDgrBy9ACQyDt5E84s9Z89DewCLcB/s400/Nathan_bornthiswayblog.com.jpg" width="380" /></a></div>
I came out to a group of my closest friends at age 9.<br><br>And during middle school, I would get pushed into lockers and walls.<br />
<br />
I did not always have a support system. But when I finally formed one with my friends and teachers, I was much happier and I saw less harassment and bullying.<br />
<br />
My advice to all the young and new generation of LGBT youth is:<br>Keep your head up. Other people have the same, if not worse, things going on.<br />
<br />
What makes me most proud now is being openly gay and being accepted by my neighbors and friends.<br />
<br />
Today, I'm still am single at the age of 23.<br>But for now, I will concentrate on work and furthering my education.<br />
______________________________________________________<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Born-This-Way-Stories-Growing/dp/1594745994" target="_blank">Click here - "Born This Way: Real Stories of Growing Up Gay" book</a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://myfirstgaycrush.blogspot.com/">Click here - "My First Gay Crush Blog</a>"</b><br />
<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/2324512/?claim=xhat9uztwm6"><b>Click to follow my blog with Bloglovin'</b></a>
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<script>!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');</script><a class="pin-it-button" count-layout="horizontal" href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=http://www.pinterest.com/BornThisWayBlog&media=https%3A%2F%2Fs-media-cache-ec1.pinimg.com%2Favatars%2Fbtwblog_1353518014_600.jpg&description=Born%20This%20Way%20Blog%20-%20A%20photo%2Fessay%20blog%20and%20book%20featuring%20childhood%20photos%20and%20the%20growing%20up%20stories%20of%20the%20LGBTQ%20community"><img border="0" src="//assets.pinterest.com/images/PinExt.png" title="Pin It" /></a>DJ Paul V.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18153342642716256652noreply@blogger.com3Springfield, MO, USA37.2089572 -93.29229889999999237.0065357 -93.615022399999987 37.4113787 -92.9695754tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907869562100366569.post-46533999233010347732017-01-09T14:24:00.001-08:002017-01-09T14:24:12.185-08:00Peter<b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">Peter, age 9</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">Hungary (1999) </span></b> <br />
<br />
I grew up in a small Hungarian village, and I never encountered the subject of being gay until I started to read books and watch movies on my own. So even then, my first LGBT discoveries were in the fictional world. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DG3hMOMZQlY/WHQG9QkhV0I/AAAAAAAAGF0/q8DdAs11wiwAsgC9pIo1tTupK8N7eLeqwCEw/s1600/Peter_bornthiswayblog.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="450" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DG3hMOMZQlY/WHQG9QkhV0I/AAAAAAAAGF0/q8DdAs11wiwAsgC9pIo1tTupK8N7eLeqwCEw/s400/Peter_bornthiswayblog.com.jpg" width="303" /></a></div>
I was a weak and sensitive kid. But I always had some good friends, who were mainly girls.<br />
<br />
At age 6, I wanted to start ballet classes. But my father wouldn't allow that, so I learned karate instead. And surprisingly, I was quite good at it.<br />
<br />
Until age 11, everything seemed normal, even neutral. Then puberty hit, and things changed with my crush on Liam Aiken from the movie "Stepmom."<br />
<br />
We had no internet back then, so I literally started to search for other movies he was in, and I watched everything I found. However, it never occurred to me that I might be gay.<br />
<br />
At the time, I figured I just wanted to <i>look</i> like him, because he was so gorgeous! <br />
<br />
Later on, I tried to have girlfriends, but when I closed my eyes, I always imagined I was with boys. Even then I didn't suspect anything. I thought it was just part of developing my identity. At age 17, I started to date a female classmate, and we were together for four years.<br />
<br />
Later on while attending college, I started to consider the option of dating boys. <br />
<br />
I didn't get religious education, and my parents were less conservative than the rest of our village. And yet, my family always asked me if I already had a girlfriend or not. It took them an unnecessarily long time to discover my truth.<br />
<br />
I came out slowly, but every single person was incredibly supportive.<br />
And many of them said, <i>"Finally!"</i><br />
<br />
Today, I live a happy life with my fiancé now, and I don't regret the long time it took to get here. Things take time, as a friend of mine keeps saying.<br />
<br />
My word of advice to gay kids today is: Don't be scared.<br />
<br />
I think most people don't know much about this subject, as it's just not the part of their life. And when they find out that LGBT people live the same way, wash the dishes the same way, drive a car the same way, do <i>everything </i>the same way - they soon realize the only thing we do <i>differently</i> is a private matter.<br />
____________________________________________________<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Born-This-Way-Stories-Growing/dp/1594745994" target="_blank">Click here - "Born This Way: Real Stories of Growing Up Gay" book</a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://myfirstgaycrush.blogspot.com/">Click here - "My First Gay Crush Blog</a>"</b><br />
<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/2324512/?claim=xhat9uztwm6"><b>Click to follow my blog with Bloglovin'</b></a>
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<script>!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');</script><a class="pin-it-button" count-layout="horizontal" href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=http://www.pinterest.com/BornThisWayBlog&media=https%3A%2F%2Fs-media-cache-ec1.pinimg.com%2Favatars%2Fbtwblog_1353518014_600.jpg&description=Born%20This%20Way%20Blog%20-%20A%20photo%2Fessay%20blog%20and%20book%20featuring%20childhood%20photos%20and%20the%20growing%20up%20stories%20of%20the%20LGBTQ%20community"><img border="0" src="//assets.pinterest.com/images/PinExt.png" title="Pin It" /></a>DJ Paul V.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18153342642716256652noreply@blogger.com0Hungary47.162494 19.50330400000007144.398411 14.33973000000007 49.926577 24.666878000000072tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907869562100366569.post-34855713835211427972017-01-05T11:26:00.001-08:002017-01-05T11:26:30.939-08:00Lenny<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Lenny, age 3</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Bellevue, Idaho (1947)</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I was known as Little Lenny, the "City Boy" with wild west affiliations combined with an English bloodline. My great grandparents were pioneers to the West and were among the earliest ranchers and silver-mining adventurers in Southern Idaho. I have a little Native American blood, too.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lpgA9a6PnpE/WG6an4NLMbI/AAAAAAAAGFQ/hIMwJMe-5OcJta2uR83t7P2N4HW6QVwggCLcB/s1600/Lenny_bornthiswayblog.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="380" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lpgA9a6PnpE/WG6an4NLMbI/AAAAAAAAGFQ/hIMwJMe-5OcJta2uR83t7P2N4HW6QVwggCLcB/s400/Lenny_bornthiswayblog.com.jpg" width="305" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I always felt different deep down. You know what I mean? As a young child I slept outside in the summertime and stared up at the stars, pondering: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Where does life end? </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>How far is infinity?</i> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Nobody knows everything, but I knew being different was unanswerable even then. I had no choice but to go along with life and take a ride.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">From my earliest memories I knew I was not like everyone else. But I didn't know what "gay" actually was back then. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">People mostly liked me, but I do have an older sister who sent me to the emergency room after various baby-sitting "accident" occasions. Truthfully, I would call those homicidal inclinations. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I still have scars, and I call her "the assassin" to this day. She pretends she doesn't remember any of this because I was an "adorable" child. Yeah, right.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I know that life can be a double challenge for LGBTI people of all nationalities and races. I come from hearty English-American stock and we keep on moving no matter <i>what</i> troubles we encounter. It's the American Way!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I also know that we are everyone's child, sister, brother, co-worker and best friend. Gay people are a part of life and we share our lives with everyone. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Nothing can change that fact!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I am now 72 years old and an active artist, and I live at the foot of an active volcano in Central America. I have always loved my life, and I still love my life.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">And I still stare up at the stars in the heavens and feel inspired by life around me. The life I have been given is the one I deeply enjoy and am grateful to always have had. So for all the young gay kids reading this now, I will tell you: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">IT GETS BETTER! It honestly does.</span><br />
________________________________________________<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Born-This-Way-Stories-Growing/dp/1594745994" target="_blank">Click here - "Born This Way: Real Stories of Growing Up Gay" book</a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://myfirstgaycrush.blogspot.com/">Click here - "My First Gay Crush Blog</a>"</b><br />
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<script>!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');</script><a class="pin-it-button" count-layout="horizontal" href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=http://www.pinterest.com/BornThisWayBlog&media=https%3A%2F%2Fs-media-cache-ec1.pinimg.com%2Favatars%2Fbtwblog_1353518014_600.jpg&description=Born%20This%20Way%20Blog%20-%20A%20photo%2Fessay%20blog%20and%20book%20featuring%20childhood%20photos%20and%20the%20growing%20up%20stories%20of%20the%20LGBTQ%20community"><img border="0" src="//assets.pinterest.com/images/PinExt.png" title="Pin It" /></a>DJ Paul V.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18153342642716256652noreply@blogger.com2Bellevue, ID, USA43.4635179 -114.2605998000000243.4174194 -114.34128080000002 43.5096164 -114.17991880000002tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907869562100366569.post-5036131469028186222016-12-07T14:31:00.000-08:002016-12-07T14:31:45.579-08:00Terry<b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">Terry, age 7</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">Mt. Sterling, Ohio (1968)</span></b><br />
<br />
My mom was a big supporter of <i>Santa Claus</i>. Actually, it wasn’t until the first Christmas after she got married (at age 17, and <i>Santa</i> didn’t come) that she learned the truth. But despite that knowledge and a short, rocky marriage, she instilled in my brother and I the confidence that we could ask <i>Santa</i> for whatever we really, truly wanted. If <i>Santa</i> could afford it, that’s what he’d bring.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bxGaiNTPjbA/WEiJu4-R8cI/AAAAAAAAGDA/WJA6kj_cilYSGZWDH4PMn_UgjVAPBesAwCLcB/s1600/Terry_bornthiswayblog.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="470" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bxGaiNTPjbA/WEiJu4-R8cI/AAAAAAAAGDA/WJA6kj_cilYSGZWDH4PMn_UgjVAPBesAwCLcB/s400/Terry_bornthiswayblog.com.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
I think my older brother was on to mom and started working the system.<br />
But <i>I</i> believed in the man who didn’t judge me wholeheartedly.<br />
<br />
All our Christmas photos show the clear difference between my brother and I: He’d get a rifle, and I’d get a pogo stick with pink tassels on the handle bars.<br />
<i>Santa</i> kept me stocked with dolls and even a patent leather purse once.<br />
<br />
Here’s a photo of the year I scored <i>both</i> a dollhouse and an <i>E-Z Bake Oven</i>. <i>Santa</i> (and his helper) never disappointed, except that my mom didn’t have a lot of time to pull off all this magic.<br />
<br />
So we were raised with the slogan, <i>“Santa doesn’t wrap.”</i><br />
<br />
Thus, anything from the North Pole was laid out under the tree in it’s original box. But it was fine. My brother and I had no trouble figuring out which present belonged to who.<br />
<br />
And although I was teased and tormented throughout my school years for being a sissy, I always knew <i>Santa</i> was my safe haven.<br />
<br />
I just didn’t know to thank my mom for that until much later in life.<br />
_____________________________________________________<br />
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Born-This-Way-Stories-Growing/dp/1594745994" target="_blank">Click here - "Born This Way: Real Stories of Growing Up Gay" book</a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://myfirstgaycrush.blogspot.com/">Click here - "My First Gay Crush Blog</a>"</b><br />
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<script>!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');</script><a class="pin-it-button" count-layout="horizontal" href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=http://www.pinterest.com/BornThisWayBlog&media=https%3A%2F%2Fs-media-cache-ec1.pinimg.com%2Favatars%2Fbtwblog_1353518014_600.jpg&description=Born%20This%20Way%20Blog%20-%20A%20photo%2Fessay%20blog%20and%20book%20featuring%20childhood%20photos%20and%20the%20growing%20up%20stories%20of%20the%20LGBTQ%20community"><img border="0" src="//assets.pinterest.com/images/PinExt.png" title="Pin It" /></a>DJ Paul V.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18153342642716256652noreply@blogger.com3Mt Sterling, OH 43143, USA39.7195054 -83.26519259999997839.6950779 -83.305533099999977 39.743932900000004 -83.224852099999978tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907869562100366569.post-36775898326972228432016-10-31T09:45:00.000-07:002017-03-21T14:53:35.586-07:00Norn<b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">Norn, age 6</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">St. Petersburg, Florida (1975)</span></b><br />
<br />
It was October 1975, and my my mom dressed my little sister and I up as "hookers" for Halloween. "Hookers" was a sure laugh-riot for any occasion,<br />
but I wonder now what <i>we</i> thought "hookers" were?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-loFLV6T0ZL4/WBdx_Eay8_I/AAAAAAAAGBU/1C92ZFtzUbIAyTnmAdEweMu-1ygmbemLQCLcB/s1600/Norn_bornthiswayblog.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-loFLV6T0ZL4/WBdx_Eay8_I/AAAAAAAAGBU/1C92ZFtzUbIAyTnmAdEweMu-1ygmbemLQCLcB/s400/Norn_bornthiswayblog.com.jpg" width="245" /></a></div>
I remember mom instructed us to <i>"Swing your purse a lot!"</i><br />
<br />
My mom also used to dress me up as Shirley Temple, Tina Turner, Cher, or Gilda Radner and have me perform for her friends during their cocktail hour. Wigs, dresses, heels, etc. They would HOWL with laughter as I camped it up, and I LOVED getting laughs!<br />
<br />
But as I got older, and dressed in drag by my own choice, my mom grew more alarmed. Suddenly this thing that I was rewarded for, the thing that got me attention, I was now being punished for.<br />
<br />
I'll just turned 47, and that betrayal still feels raw... Though I hadn't even thought of that until I found this photo.<br />
<br />
But today, I still wear whatever I want and I still love to get laughs!<br />
And <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/NORNCUTSONART" target="_blank">my art and illustrations</a></b> feature and salute many of the ladies I love.<br />
______________________________________________________<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Born-This-Way-Stories-Growing/dp/1594745994" target="_blank">Click here - "Born This Way: Real Stories of Growing Up Gay" book</a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://myfirstgaycrush.blogspot.com/">Click here - "My First Gay Crush Blog</a>"</b><br />
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<script>!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');</script><a class="pin-it-button" count-layout="horizontal" href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=http://www.pinterest.com/BornThisWayBlog&media=https%3A%2F%2Fs-media-cache-ec1.pinimg.com%2Favatars%2Fbtwblog_1353518014_600.jpg&description=Born%20This%20Way%20Blog%20-%20A%20photo%2Fessay%20blog%20and%20book%20featuring%20childhood%20photos%20and%20the%20growing%20up%20stories%20of%20the%20LGBTQ%20community"><img border="0" src="//assets.pinterest.com/images/PinExt.png" title="Pin It" /></a>DJ Paul V.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18153342642716256652noreply@blogger.com1St. Petersburg, FL, USA27.7518284 -82.626734527.3022734 -83.2721815 28.2013834 -81.9812875tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907869562100366569.post-85217577201051018122016-10-24T11:43:00.000-07:002016-10-24T11:43:00.989-07:00Jeff<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">Jeff, age 7</span></b></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">Chestertown, Maryland (1970)</span></b></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">I grew up in a small college town surrounded by corn fields and dairy farms. </span><br />
<span class="s1">If you threw </span>Colonial Williamsburg, <i>Mayberry RFD</i>, Norman Rockwell and "Deliverance" into a blender, you'd end up with Kent County, Maryland. Every year there was a Halloween Parade and most of the kids from town would dress up in their in costumes and follow behind the high school marching band. </div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Rzn7MZ85Qzw/WA5THlj1MpI/AAAAAAAAF_g/Ls-vPRXop6Ub_rSc--OBFxfIUw_QZOuuACLcB/s1600/Jeff_bornthiswayblog.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="500" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Rzn7MZ85Qzw/WA5THlj1MpI/AAAAAAAAF_g/Ls-vPRXop6Ub_rSc--OBFxfIUw_QZOuuACLcB/s400/Jeff_bornthiswayblog.com.jpg" width="492" /></a></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
I really don't remember wearing this uniform (but I did like playing with <i>GI Joe dolls</i> and my friend Gretchen's <i>Barbies</i> too), so maybe my parents were probably trying to butch me up a bit? But as you can see, my queerness overwhelmed the intended machismo of the uniform. Nowadays I have a bit of a uniform fetish, so maybe this is where it all began?!</div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">My home town, though quaint as hell, was sometimes a scary place for a young gay boy to grow up. Most of the kids in school were nice to me, but a handful of jocks made my life miserable from Jr. High all the way through High School. </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">I can remember being call homo, queer and fag and being puzzled why they were calling me these names. When I was 11, we were square dancing in gym class and one of the jocks told me that I was dancing like a fag. I was upset that, once again, I was being called a fag. And so I asked myself, <i>'What is a fag?' </i> </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">The gay rights movement was all over the TV news at the time and I remember seeing a shot of two men kissing in the streets. As I was doing a dosy doe to some corny country song, the image of two men kissing was making me very excited. That's the exact moment that I realized that I was gay!</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
It would take another 8 years before I would finally comes to terms with my sexuality, but it was at 11 that it became pretty clear to me why I had crushes on some of the guys at school.<br />
<br />
Once I was safely cloistered away in Art School in Baltimore, it was much easier for me to meet guys and figure out just who I was. Living in major cities like New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles gave me the freedom to live an openly gay life, decades before we became a part of mainstream culture. </div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">As the years past, I became interested in gay history and learning about what it was like for earlier generations of gays and lesbians. In the 1980's, while shopping at antique shows and flea markets, I began collecting vintage photos of men hugging or holding hands. This ultimately inspired me to create my website <b><a href="http://www.homohistory.com/" target="_blank">Homo History</a>,</b> which re-appropriates vintage found photos of same sex couples, who may or may not have actually been lovers. </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">What started first as a hobby and a personal collection ended up becoming a popular gay history website with over 3 million page views! To this day, I continue to add to my personal collection of vintage photos.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">And I'm very happy to be able to share this vintage photo of the little gay boy that I once was.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">___________________________________________________</span></div>
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Born-This-Way-Stories-Growing/dp/1594745994" target="_blank">Click here - "Born This Way: Real Stories of Growing Up Gay" book</a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://myfirstgaycrush.blogspot.com/">Click here - "My First Gay Crush Blog</a>"</b><br />
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<script>!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');</script><a class="pin-it-button" count-layout="horizontal" href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=http://www.pinterest.com/BornThisWayBlog&media=https%3A%2F%2Fs-media-cache-ec1.pinimg.com%2Favatars%2Fbtwblog_1353518014_600.jpg&description=Born%20This%20Way%20Blog%20-%20A%20photo%2Fessay%20blog%20and%20book%20featuring%20childhood%20photos%20and%20the%20growing%20up%20stories%20of%20the%20LGBTQ%20community"><img border="0" src="//assets.pinterest.com/images/PinExt.png" title="Pin It" /></a>DJ Paul V.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18153342642716256652noreply@blogger.com1Chestertown, MD 21620, USA39.218866299999988 -76.06900359999997439.169658299999988 -76.149684599999972 39.268074299999988 -75.988322599999975tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907869562100366569.post-60462193734687504202016-10-12T13:22:00.001-07:002016-10-12T13:22:16.874-07:00Tori<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">Tori, age 4</span></b></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">Columbus, Georgia (2002)</span></b></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">All I know is I didn't want to dance with that boy. I pouted the entire time, because no one would let me dance with my best friend Sydney. 14 years later, and I would still rather dance with a pretty girl. Gay as hell <i>now</i>, gay as hell <i>then</i>.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tecCdqY3afE/V_6YhvijgZI/AAAAAAAAF9w/cZDDGTZ4YXIi6Ej4lwTbqhMFcPFltXOtQCLcB/s1600/Tori_bornthiswayblog.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="306" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tecCdqY3afE/V_6YhvijgZI/AAAAAAAAF9w/cZDDGTZ4YXIi6Ej4lwTbqhMFcPFltXOtQCLcB/s400/Tori_bornthiswayblog.com.jpg" width="460" /></a></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">But, growing up I wasn't always so happy to accept that. I struggled with internalized hatred and disgust for a long time. And when I finally had found the self acceptance and love to come out to my family and my friends, they said:</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><i>"Why didn't you tell us sooner? Why did you lie to us?"</i></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">And, yes, I have extremely accepting and loving people in my life, and they deserved to know. But I was frustrated that no one could understand that I was not afraid of <i>them</i>, but of myself - and of all the people out there who do not share their open minds. </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">And above all, <i>my coming out was not about them.</i></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">It was not something they had the right to feel angry with me for.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">I think it is hard for family members to grasp what it is like to grow up knowing you are different in a way that many do not accept. And not in a <i>"I like weird clothes or weird music and they make fun of me"</i> kinda way, but in a <i>"I love who I love and some people would kill me for that"</i> kinda way. And they'll try, but they may never understand what it is that drives so many of us to hide who we are, and even pretend to be who we are not. </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">That doesn't make them any less loving or caring or accepting, it just makes them human. They have no way of knowing what it is like, they can't read our thoughts. They can't relive our experiences or feel our hearts sink every time something hateful is spit at us. They can't imagine what it is like to be afraid to hold the hand of the person they love while they walk on the sidewalk. But they are trying -- always, always trying to empathize and learn and change.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
I am so grateful to have people who love me and are willing to try and to change. And to now be able to say that I love myself too. </div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">I just want anyone out there that's having a hard time finding self-acceptance to know that so many others have felt that pain too. You are beautiful, and there is nothing wrong with you, nothing you should try to change or hide. </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">When you learn to love yourself, you get to be proud, and be a part of a community of amazing people. You get to laugh and smile and love wholeheartedly without feeling like you are wrong. </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">And I wouldn't trade such a colorful, diverse, and happy life for anything. </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Let <i>yourself </i>in so you can let others in.</span></div>
_____________________________________________________<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Born-This-Way-Stories-Growing/dp/1594745994" target="_blank">Click here - "Born This Way: Real Stories of Growing Up Gay" book</a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://myfirstgaycrush.blogspot.com/">Click here - "My First Gay Crush Blog</a>"</b><br />
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<script>!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');</script><a class="pin-it-button" count-layout="horizontal" href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=http://www.pinterest.com/BornThisWayBlog&media=https%3A%2F%2Fs-media-cache-ec1.pinimg.com%2Favatars%2Fbtwblog_1353518014_600.jpg&description=Born%20This%20Way%20Blog%20-%20A%20photo%2Fessay%20blog%20and%20book%20featuring%20childhood%20photos%20and%20the%20growing%20up%20stories%20of%20the%20LGBTQ%20community"><img border="0" src="//assets.pinterest.com/images/PinExt.png" title="Pin It" /></a>DJ Paul V.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18153342642716256652noreply@blogger.com0Columbus, GA, USA32.4609764 -84.98770939999997232.2466844 -85.310432899999967 32.6752684 -84.664985899999976tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907869562100366569.post-74171498153761301582016-09-08T13:45:00.000-07:002016-09-14T11:38:07.268-07:00Eric<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Eric, age 11</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Toronto, Ontario Canada (1962)</b></span></div>
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I'm here in the middle with my younger brother and sister. I was born on a farm in a family of seven, and we moved to the city at age 5. Before moving, I was invited to stay overnight at my neighbor Maryann's place. I assumed I would sleep with her, which made her parents laugh. They refused with no explanation, leaving me puzzled and offended.<span class="s1"></span></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mNf6z1zOzzI/V9HKW7fWdyI/AAAAAAAAF8U/aVRkvx7z3W8C5Ds3ketz3ClnP0Dy7oRzACLcB/s1600/Eric_bornthiswayblog.com.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="500" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mNf6z1zOzzI/V9HKW7fWdyI/AAAAAAAAF8U/aVRkvx7z3W8C5Ds3ketz3ClnP0Dy7oRzACLcB/s400/Eric_bornthiswayblog.com.JPG" width="500" /></a></div>
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I had no sense of sexuality till the bullying started in grade 7, and even my home room teacher encouraged it. It turns out he was getting it on with a girl in class. </div>
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I volunteered at recess to clean his blackboards so I wouldn't face the bullies. </div>
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<span class="s1">Instinctively, I was sucking up to him (figuratively) to neutralize him as a homophobe - before I even knew <i>I</i> was gay! Even that lecherous teacher was better than recess that year.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Prior to that, I had friends. And a few guys that I liked especially and who remain in my mind as innocent loves. They let me play soccer (badly) and treated me like one of the guys. I thrived on the comraderie. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">I remember in grade 8 a loudmouth teaser tormenting me in the hall, and my friend Bob grabbing him and telling him to stop taunting me. My knight in shining armor was thoroughly a jock and very handsome. Why was he so willing to stand up for me?</span></div>
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Bob even took figure skating classes with me for a while <i>'To improve my skating skills' </i>and let me play hockey (badly) in his backyard with his other friends. </div>
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I wish I had learned team sports, but I lacked the jock spirit. </div>
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Instead, I filled my plate full with studies, playing piano, and skating. </div>
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<span class="s1">Then came high school, which was great. No taunts! I was good at gymnastics, and the teacher made a point of praising my athletic ability in gym class. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Those were idyllic years. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">My crushes remained fantasies, but they were still vivid. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">I remained in the closet with my family, where there was much upheaval and much heartbreak. I breathed a sigh of relief when I began university far from home and could starting dating etc.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">I met a very effeminate, pushy guy from the US on a choir tour, and the sex we had was a nightmare! He eventually hitchhiked back to school - unannounced - and was camped out in my dorm room when I returned, much to the hilarity of my dorm mates. I was a victim, and that episode scarred me for life!</span></div>
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I finally had a few good encounters, but never found someone I really wanted to be with and who really wanted to be with me.</div>
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<span class="s1">So my story has no 'happy ending' yet. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Sadly, I keep looking but never seem to find a stable relationship. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">I suppose <i>I</i> might still be the problem?</span></div>
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<span class="s1">_____________________________________________________</span></div>
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Born-This-Way-Stories-Growing/dp/1594745994" target="_blank">Click here - "Born This Way: Real Stories of Growing Up Gay" book</a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://myfirstgaycrush.blogspot.com/">Click here - "My First Gay Crush Blog</a>"</b><br />
<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/2324512/?claim=xhat9uztwm6"><b>Click to follow my blog with Bloglovin'</b></a>
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<script>!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');</script><a class="pin-it-button" count-layout="horizontal" href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=http://www.pinterest.com/BornThisWayBlog&media=https%3A%2F%2Fs-media-cache-ec1.pinimg.com%2Favatars%2Fbtwblog_1353518014_600.jpg&description=Born%20This%20Way%20Blog%20-%20A%20photo%2Fessay%20blog%20and%20book%20featuring%20childhood%20photos%20and%20the%20growing%20up%20stories%20of%20the%20LGBTQ%20community"><img border="0" src="//assets.pinterest.com/images/PinExt.png" title="Pin It" /></a>DJ Paul V.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18153342642716256652noreply@blogger.com5Toronto, ON, Canada43.653226 -79.38318429999998243.285985499999995 -80.028631299999986 44.0204665 -78.737737299999978tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907869562100366569.post-11266024181771655562016-08-01T14:54:00.000-07:002016-08-13T21:25:17.919-07:00Hartson<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Hartson, age 10</span></b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Paducah, Kentucky (1976)</span></b></span></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U10CmiI4dJs/V5_DjSKq3iI/AAAAAAAAF5I/PaeHu9nrhY87poBDHp6ypWtXwyct-ZBNQCLcB/s1600/5th%2BGrade%2BBatton.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="610" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U10CmiI4dJs/V5_DjSKq3iI/AAAAAAAAF5I/PaeHu9nrhY87poBDHp6ypWtXwyct-ZBNQCLcB/s640/5th%2BGrade%2BBatton.jpeg" width="305" /></a></div>
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I think this photo of me just about sums it ALL up!!! ;)</div>
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<span class="s1">I always liked being an entertainer, and in 1976 </span>I also learned to play the flute. </div>
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Later during Middle & High school years while in the marching band and playing in parades, my "friends" would yell out, <i>"Play that skin flute!" </i></div>
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Something tells me they knew I did. And very well!</div>
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<span class="s1">Growing up in a mid-sized city had its drawbacks, but I think it made me into a great person. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Now at age 49, I look back and remember all the fun stuff, not the crappy stuff. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">So that's my advice to LGBTQ kids reading my story today: </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Just enjoy life!!!</span></div>
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<span class="s1">_____________________</span></div>
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Born-This-Way-Stories-Growing/dp/1594745994" target="_blank">Click here - "Born This Way: Real Stories of Growing Up Gay" book</a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://myfirstgaycrush.blogspot.com/">Click here - "My First Gay Crush Blog</a>"</b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/2324512/?claim=xhat9uztwm6"><b>Click to follow my blog with Bloglovin'</b></a>
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<script>!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');</script><a class="pin-it-button" count-layout="horizontal" href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=http://www.pinterest.com/BornThisWayBlog&media=https%3A%2F%2Fs-media-cache-ec1.pinimg.com%2Favatars%2Fbtwblog_1353518014_600.jpg&description=Born%20This%20Way%20Blog%20-%20A%20photo%2Fessay%20blog%20and%20book%20featuring%20childhood%20photos%20and%20the%20growing%20up%20stories%20of%20the%20LGBTQ%20community"><img border="0" src="//assets.pinterest.com/images/PinExt.png" title="Pin It" /></a>DJ Paul V.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18153342642716256652noreply@blogger.com2Paducah, KY, USA37.0833893 -88.6000477999999736.9820338 -88.761409299999968 37.1847448 -88.438686299999972