Annie, age 9
Fort Walton Beach, FL (1992)
I was a tomboy as a child. I spent my time riding bikes with my best friend
(a boy) and climbing trees. When family got together, my female cousins and I would spend a lot of time playing dress up and putting on "shows". As you can see, I was willing to dress the part of the boy in our performances.
I didn't come to terms with the fact that I was gay until after I had graduated college. I spent a lot of time going through the motions of dating guys and fulfilling expectations.
When I finally did come out, and embraced who I was and the feelings I was having, I discovered a lot of gay moments I'd had in retrospect.
For instance, I'm quite sure my first crush was my 1st grade teacher,
Ms. Lutrell.
Looking at the photo today amuses me, as I consider myself a "femme" lesbian, and I don't wear men's clothes as an adult.
But it's interesting to look at this photo and realize I was comfortable exploring gender roles, even at a very young age.
Today, I am out and proud and have an amazingly supportive family, for whom I am extremely grateful.
