Henry

Henry, age 6

Birmingham, Alabama (1986)

This picture of me and my (also gay) twin brother Andy was taken at our grandmother's house. We would always fight over who got to wear the silky shirt. I'm on the right in the shirt, and Andy is on the left in the heels.

This picture and time of my life brings back great memories, because my grandparents didn't care about our differences. They just wanted us to be happy and to be ourselves.

We were both big fans of Care Bears and My Little Pony. 

My sister had an ET doll and Godzilla figure that would shoot its hand off. But Andy and I pretty much stuck to our stuffed animals and Rainbow Brite dolls.

Speaking of stuffed animals, I came out to my teddybear at 5.

But our older sister actually came out before we did, so she helped break our parents in. 

I like to say we all helped drag our parents kicking and screaming into the 21st century! LOL!

For younger gay kids reading this, I would like to tell them that I thank God every day I was born a homosexual. It has helped me to grow as an individual and learn so much more about myself at an early age.

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Kurt & Matt

Kurt & Matt, age 5
Springfield, Oregon (1990)

I'm here on the left with my twin brother, Matt. I guess my experience has been different from most others, in that I didn't really realize that I was gay until probably middle school. Even then, I wasn't ready to admit it to myself or anyone else until I was a senior in high school.

When I stumbled upon this picture at my dad's house, my first thought was,
"How did you all NOT know we were gay?" Especially when we spent so much time playing Cinderella - and need I even mention my purple My Little Pony, which was my most prized and beloved gift on Christmas day in 1987?

My brother and I have been really lucky to have a supportive family and friends. And thankfully, we haven't experienced any of the nightmare scenarios you too often hear about, when people begin the process of coming out.

Maybe if we'd stayed in the Mormon church, things would be different. But we stopped attending when around 8-years old, and we haven't looked back.

Growing up, I never thought that if I came out as gay, that my mom would soon be saying to me, "You should go talk to that cute gay guy at Starbucks."

But she did. And kids, it really does get better - so hang in there!
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Ryan & Kevin

Ryan & Kevin, age 5

Mansfield, Texas (1996)

I'm Ryan (on the left), and this was just a normal day, playing with my - also gay - twin brother Kevin. We'd get in our baby blankets and pretend we were Cinderella and Snow White and have a blast putting on little shows for everyone. I remember singing along to cast recordings of "Annie" and "Wizard of Oz" all the time. We both loved to sing, act and dance, and still do.

I never thought I was that different than other little kids my age. But I didn’t exactly like to do boy stuff like go camping or be outside. I mainly liked doing the girl stuff. I remember we had a neighbor we played with, and she had a lot of Barbies. Kevin and I would play with them whenever we liked.

When we were 6, my mom asked us what we wanted for Christmas, and we proudly replied, 'We want Fairy Barbies.'  That must have been a big surprise for our parents, but that very Christmas we got our very own Barbies! It was one of my favorite Christmases of all time. 

Kevin and I weren't that popular during elementary school. It was very unhappy times for us, and I remember being made fun of for being gay when I was like 9. I didn't even know what the word meant! I thought it meant happy, so in a way it was a compliment. But I knew the way kids said it, that it was no compliment. I didn't know why people were picking on me, just that I felt a little unwanted. 

I remember in junior high phys. ed class that the guys talked about which girls were hot. I knew when a girl was more attractive, but I also knew which guy was more attractive. I felt like the only boy looking at the other boys in that class. I thought that every guy would notice when a hot guy would walk by.

It wasn't until my freshman year of high school that I came out, first to my three best girl friends. They took it well, so I came out to the rest of the school. Everyone took it well, and most kids already knew. This got me picked on a little, but by then I knew how to fight for myself. There was one guy who picked on me in the halls, but his bullying was more psychological than physical.

Coming out to my parents wasn't a great situation. A kid from school told his parents that I came out, and he had a problem with it. They then called my parents - who I had not told yet. At that point, Kevin and I both came out to our mom, and she was great. I think she already knew (we'd asked for Barbies for heaven’s sake!), but my dad took longer getting used to it.

But now, he accepts both of us. And I thank my friends who helped my through that time. They were wonderful! 
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Brian & Kevin

Brian & Kevin, age 4

Las Vegas, Nevada (1979)

In our pic, Kevin is on the left, and I'm on the right. We're twins. Perhaps this memory has been repressed for the past few decades, but it wasn’t until seeing this picture framed in my parent’s house a few months ago, that I realized BOTH me and my twin were fond of dressing up in women’s clothes as children.

You see, my brother Kevin has always tended more towards the effeminate side (even to this day) and it was no surprise to anyone that he was gay. With the exception of a few awkward teen years, he never really tried to hide it. He has always loved the theater, the drama, and the sequins.

I, however, was a totally different story. And was a total closet-case until about 10 years ago. I thought I did a better job keeping a lid on it, but obviously, this picture tells a much different tale - what with that fabulous pink hat and flowing scarf!

I knew I was different from the earliest of ages – even before I knew what “gay” or “straight” meant. I remember being more curious about boys than girls, but seeing how effeminate my twin brother was and the ridicule that he endured on a daily basis sent a message to me that there was definitely something wrong with whatever “that” was.

I played it straight for years and thought that I could somehow ignore the fact that deep down, I knew I was gay. And it wasn’t until my mid-20's that I finally had to courage to live my OWN life, instead of the life that others thought was “normal” - and I truly could not be any happier today.

My husbear and I have been together for over 9 years (married for 2) and it all just feels right to me. Finally.

And no, I don’t have the slightest inclination to wear women’s clothes today. But I truly loved finding this picture of me and my brother, documenting our queer youth. We are both fortunate to have a loving, supportive family who couldn’t care less about our orientation, just as long as we are happy. 

Editor's Note:
Brian & Kevin are our first gay, fraternal twins!
I'm no scientist, but - I think we just isolated TWO gay genes? :)

Brian's first, famous-person same sex crushes:

Ricky Schroeder ("Silver Spoons") & The Marlboro Man
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Click here - "Born This Way: Real Stories of Growing Up Gay" book
Click here - "My First Gay Crush Blog"

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