Ron

Ron, age 7

Gemert, Holland (1967)

I'm on the right in the pic, and the other boy is Johnny. I remember that we were very good friends, but one of the few things we disagreed on was the fact that Johnny always wanted to be 'the mother' when we "played house" back then.
And here, Johnny's playing with my sister's doll.

You see, I also wanted to play the 'mother' too,  but Johnny was very clear and dominant about it. Well, Johnny is now Joyce  - a transgendered woman.
He had his sex-change over 20 years ago, is now 51, and happy being a woman.

I always knew that I was gay, and I used to stare at the male body for as long as I can remember. I was so fascinated by men back then - and still am - that it was never a shock to me that I'm gay. It shocked some people around me though, but that is their problem.
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Kelly Jo

Kelly Jo, age 10
Seabrook, TX (1975)

On the day this pic was shot, I didn't tell my Mom it was school-photo day, and I dressed myself! Everything was great until 3 months later, when the large package of photos came in the mail. But it was worth it!!

 I always had a bad reaction with dresses. The thought of being made to get into one gave me the cold sweats.

I'm 45 now, and still don't own one...

When you're young, you're told a lot of things: How to act, what to do, what to believe, how to feel. Then with time you find out what really matters to YOU.

Yes, it was hard growing up gay.
But looking back now, I wouldn't change a thing.

It made me who I am today:
Strong, Creative, Caring.

Kelly Jo's first, famous-person same sex crush:
Pam Dawber (Mindy on "Mork & Mindy")
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Jason

Jason, age 9

Glendale, Arizona (1984)

On the day of this pic, I remember being extremely annoyed that I had left the Michael Jackson button on. My brother found my zeal for pop stars and dancing 'really girly.' He warned me before I left the house not to 'leave that faggy looking button on' for my school photo. 'Like I would forget to take it off!' is probably what I fired back at him. Of course I left it on, and now my childhood love of MJ is forever immortalized in my 4th-grade class photo.

I always felt different as a child, but I didn't have a name for it. Everyone else sure did, though!

Starting in 4th grade, all the kids had many names for my difference: fag, gay, homo, and any other pejorative term they came up with.

It was until I graduated high school that I allowed myself to explore my sexuality for myself, and then eureka! - those kids were correct all along!

Looking back, I wish I'd been more aware of my sexuality sooner, so I could have taken the teasing in stride, or felt I could have fought back.

As it was, I found the teasing and bullying unfair and spent years trying to act more masculine. Naturally, it didn't work and I'm just as much a limp-wristed, fashion-loving homo as ever! See the proof HERE.
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Jason's first, famous-person same sex crush:

Mackenzie Astin (Andy on "The Facts Of Life")

This was my absolute favorite show while growing up.

Jorge

Jorge, age 3

Tamaulipas, México (1985)

Here I am at a small festival where I was selected as the "Little King Of Spring". I remember I was so happy back then, as I got to do some kind of catwalk, and at one point I had to use a tricycle in the shape of a butterfly surrounded by flowers. I had a great time and my mom was so proud.

I knew I was different at the age of 11, because I disliked most of the boys' activities, such as sports or trying to get the attention of girls. That's when I started to paint, became withdrawn into myself, and turned into a lonely boy.

When I came out to my mom she wasn't shocked at all. But, she doesn't understand why, as a gay man, I don't like to 'wear pink or talk in a funny way' as she says some gay men talk.


I was a little offended and I had to explain to her that gays are humans, too.
We are all different. There are still people (at least in Mexico) who think all gays are the same. But if we don't teach them, who will?

Now in my life, I have many new friends, who accept me the way I am.

So to all young gay people out there:
Don't close your heart and always be who you want to be, no matter what!

Jorge's first, famous-person same sex crush:

Ralph Macchio (in "Karate Kid")

Lenny

Lenny, age 10

Chicago, Illinois (1965)

Here's me in our backyard pool on Chicago's South side. My dad was an ex-marine and made me get my hair completely buzzed. I remember feeling inadequate because I was skinny, hairless, and blond. I wanted to be dark, thick, more masculine. My dad must've known I was 'different' because he used to glare at me and bully me all of the time.

All I knew was I wanted to disappear, hide and just 'go away', fearful I'd never develop into a 'man'. This pic makes me a bit sad, because it was the beginning of a long period of self-loathing and shame. But it also makes me proud, because even at 10, I could manage to make a little oasis for myself in a horrible spot.

I used to drag our 12-inch black & white TV into the garage late at night and watch dance shows and old movies, fantasizing that I lived alone in my own apt.
I loved watching Shindig, Hullabaloo and anything with Bette Davis.

It was around this time that I caught myself staring at older boy's arms, their eyebrows, and getting excited seeing even a glimpse of leg hair over their socks in Catholic School. I clearly remember doing my best to mask these feelings, paralyzed with fear at the thought of someone finding me out.

Around this time, we had a carpenter (who was a deaf mute) working on our house. 

I was used to getting the 'suspicious sissy accusatory look' from people, but this guy was different. He was buff and friendly and smiled at me all of the time. He'd work with his shirt off, completely ripped and damp with sweat. I'd offer him lemonade and hand him wood and nails. One time, I came into the kitchen and my mom gave me 'the look', and said, 'Why do you stare at that deaf guy all of the time?' I had been clocked. 

My first memory of gay shame was age 4. While changing into my swim suit at a lake, 

I walked into the men's changing room and saw rows of naked men for the first time. 

I ducked into a stall and hid. 

By age 10, I was fascinated with Anne Francis as TV's Honey West. I tried to get the neighborhood kids to act out the scripts. I remember saying, 'Let's play Honey West. You guys are the spies, and you tie Honey to a tree. Here's the rope. And I'm Honey.'

Well, they tied me to a tree - then got confused, bored and left. As I was tied up,
I was trying to be like Honey, wiggling and resisting from the restraining rope, and imagined I had huge tits. In the middle of all this writhing, I looked up and saw my mom and my sister watching all of this unfold from our living-room window - with complete looks of revulsion and disgust.

As for my first crushes: James MacArthur, shirtless in Swiss Family Robinson.
I wanted to be trapped on that island with him. Then I saw Rod Taylor in The Time Machine, and I was thunderstruck. But I was confused at the same time, as I was not comfortable watching Paul Lynde or Charles Nelson-Reilly. All of my fantasies involved older, alpha males taking me away.

To young gay kids now? You are ALRIGHT! 

It's NOT YOU that is wrong or screwed up. Live and enjoy your life, and never think that you have to alter yourself. You are great just the way you are.

Lenny's first, famous-person same sex crush:

James MacArthur (in "Swiss Family Robinson")
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Click here - "Born This Way: Real Stories of Growing Up Gay" book

Click here - "My First Gay Crush Blog"

Teresa

Teresa, age 8
Bloomington, CA (1984)

I remember as a kid, I was always a tomboy. I always hung around boys - or girls that were tomboys. I spent the most time with my uncle who's only 5 years older than me. He was always more like my brother than my uncle. I loved playing all sports with him, including tackle football.

"I was never a girlie girl"

I guess I always knew I was different from the girlie girls, and my favorite past times were catching lizards, climbing trees (I climbed ones that even the boys wouldn't, because they were afraid of spiders!), and I loved going fishing with my grandpa.

When I was about 4 years old I asked my mom, 'Are you sure I'm not a boy?' My mom tried very hard to make me a girlie girl, but it never worked. Although, once she entered me in a local beauty pageant when I was 10, and I won 2nd runner-up Queen.

Coming out to my parents was a very negative experience for me. I've learned over the years to just not bring up the fact that I'm a lesbian to them.

But I now have a wonderful life partner. We just celebrated our 13th anniversary together, and we have a 7-year old daughter that we adopted together.

Fortunately, my partner's family is very supportive of our relationship, and our daughter is able to grow up having a typical grandparent relationship with them.

I've found in my life that I have been very fortunate to have wonderful supportive friends that I consider my family. My partner, daughter and I are very involved in our Unitarian Universalist church, and we have many wonderful close friends in our congregation that we consider family as well.

My advise for young people struggling with coming out is: Be yourself, you're beautiful just the way you are, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. If coming out is a negative experience for you, I can understand what you're going through. I've learned in my life to just surround myself with those that accept me as I am, and not who they want me to be.

I know things may be hard right now, but trust me that as you get older and surround yourself with those that love you and accept you as you are, you'll discover that the ones that didn't accept you are the ones with the problem.

You are beautiful just the way you are.

Teresa's first, famous-person same sex crush:

Nancy McKeon (Jo on "Facts Of Life")
I remember how much I loved that show because of her. She didn't care that she was different from the other girls, and wasn't afraid to just be herself.