Randy

Randy, age 4

Flat Rock, Michigan (1964)

I recently found this photo of me holding this glass ornament on my 4th Christmas. By my 6th Christmas, I knew that I was attracted to other boys in a "special" way. In fact, my first crush was in kindergarten! I was also very artistic and not very athletic. And so I created for myself a niche in the social fabric of my childhood: I was nice to everyone, accepted the role as class "Artist" like a haven, and suppressed my innate gay feelings with all my heart.

I was the peacemaker, the peace keeper, the intuitive kid that most of my classmates liked. I made my teachers and parents proud.
I spent my youth watching, and wondering, and waiting - and that's the me I see in this photo.

Today, I am an elementary school teacher, and since 1994 I've worked for a public school district that has the courage to allow me to be openly gay and a teacher.

Everyday, my experiences as a child informs my interactions with the students I teach. In spite of my openness, most people don't assume that I'm gay.

As for the students' parents, they appreciate my generosity, my caring, my pedagogical skills, and my sensitivity to their children's individuality. Each time that I make that connection with a parent, it's a precious epiphany

These are aspects of my abilities that I believe are a direct result of being born gay. And being born this way has been, for me, a gift. As a man, the little boy holding the fragile orb has discovered how truly wonderful his gayness is.

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

Robert Conrad (in "Wild Wild West")

His pants were always tight like leotards!. And those crystal blue eyes...
We're talking major hard-on factory.

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Claudia

Claudia, age 3

Ravenna, OH (1962)

That's me holding the stuffed animal and that's my brother sitting next to me. I'm wearing a flannel shirt and jeans, and - notice the short hair? All my life I remember wanting to wear boys clothing and shoes. I never liked girlie things.
I wanted toy guns, trucks and G.I. Joe, and I never played with Barbie.

I had a crush on my 1st grade teacher and crushes on many women growing up. I had no clue what the feeling was at that time. When I was in grade school, I had an imaginary girlfriend. I used to sit on the bus and wouldn't allow anyone to sit with me so my imaginary girlfriend could sit next to me.

The word lesbian didn't exist where I went to school. I did not come out until I was 22 and I fought it tooth and nail. I did not want to be "abnormal". One of my biggest crushes was my during senior year in high school. My best friend Robyn was the homecoming queen, and I used to walk her to classes and carry her books for her. You would have thought I had a clue then, but I didn't.

The best advice I can give young people today is be true to yourself and be who you are. I give the teens today a lot of credit for coming out so young, and realizing who they are.

Jeffrey

Jeffrey, age 4

Baton Rouge, Louisiana (1977)

I am on the right, like you couldn't guess, with Christian, my younger brother. At age 6, I knew that splashing around the backyard inflatable pool was better with disco music. So I had Mom play disco tunes out of the tinny little mono radio. I liked it so loud that it nearly burst the speaker. Disco dancing in the pool involved flailing my arms around and splashing my completely resigned younger brother.

"Esther Williams, eat your heart out!"

You might think growing up Southern Baptist in the deep South was a recipe for disaster, but my parents showed me so much love (and demonstrated acceptance of individuality), that I never felt bad about being different.

I had a crush on Todd, a counselor at Baptist Bible camp the same summer this picture was taken. I remember needing a great deal of time and attention from him in the pool at camp. I even "accidentally" swam into him.

Gay/Les/Queer/Bi kids should know that the very stuff that makes life tortuous as a kid, makes life delicious as an adult.

As Oscar Wilde reminds us:
"To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance."

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

Tom Selleck ("Magnum, P.I.")

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Bill

Bill, age 7

Bakersfield, CA (1987)

I got this Rainbow Brite doll on my birthday, from my neighbor Shannon, who was also my baby sitter. I saw this picture flipping threw the family album and was like BINGO! - how much more of a hint did they need! LOL!

I didn't really I know I was gay back then, but probably did by around 7th grade. My childhood was as normal as it could be for a wonderful while collar family. Vacations all the time, getting what we wanted and - oooooooh! - mom always made me BAKE cakes! Uh, Helllllllooooooo!

I got teased in Jr. High and High School, and I wasn't even out until my senior year. But only to my family and some limited friends. They'd call me Gay Bill, and even worse - my poor younger brother got called Gay Bill's Brother. But I never got beat up for it.

I am now in a relationship with my wonderful partner of 4 years and life couldn't be any more wonderful!

SO - IT DOES GET BETTER, KIDS!

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Aaron

Aaron, age 8

Belgium (1993)

I am the diva on the right!! I came across this picture a couple months ago at my parents' house, flipping through photo albums. I saw it and laughed and laughed! It was so funny to me, because I've always known that I was "non-plain" and always had a flamboyant side to my nature. But I don't keep any pictures of me as a kid, so I never really had photographic evidence.

Looking back, I know that I was gay from the first breath I took - and my family must have known as well. One of my earliest memories is being outside playing with my older brother and neighborhood friends, and my brother became enraged at me and so he ran inside yelling and crying. The next thing I know my mother was on the porch, yelling for me to come inside!

What was my brother complaining about? That I was outside acting like a girl!
I remember being so confused, because I was only in the 1st grade and I was like 'What?!!? What am I doing wrong?' How do you tell a 6-year old child that they need to start acting more like a boy!? I never understood what that meant, as I was just being myself!

I remembering being in love with the women singers of the 90's. I wanted to be Coco from SWV or Dawn Robinson from En Vogue. I think that's where that pose came from. I mean, its pretty f*cking awesome for an 8-year old to be that in touch with the camera. Angle, light, pose, FACE!

I look at this picture and feel totally vindicated for all those years of being bullied, mistreated, and told I was wrong. Here I am, in my most natural untarnished state - being happy and gay as a lamb :-)

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

Anthony Kiedis (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
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Brad

Brad, age 3
Storm Lake, Iowa (1974)

I have tons of photos like this that are indisputable proof that I was a gay zygote.

"Always have been, always will be, just a prairie girl."

In this photo, I'm on the far right, next to my cousins, Missy and Cindy, and we're all dressed as prairie girls. We loved "Little House on the Prairie" on TV, and would always re-enact our favorite episodes. As the youngest cousin, I was always cast in the crappy role of Carrie. (Seriously, all she did was fall down hills or wells. And did you ever understand a word she was saying?

What I love about this photo, is that while my cousins are all decked out in their finest costumes, I cobbled together some kind sad looking prairie drag. And still, I have a huge smile on my face. Probably because my grandmother had just given me the rag doll I'm holding.

The earliest indication that I was gay was around the age of 5 when I wanted to be able to kiss Fred from "Scooby Doo, Where Are You?" But I don’t know what the attraction was. The ascot, maybe? My golden childhood is filled with many happy memories: playing with dolls, drawing and coloring, reading Trixie Belden mysteries, and roller skating around my basement to the Xanadu soundtrack.

I wanted to grow up and marry a nice Lutheran boy and either perform on "The Carol Burnett Show" or become the cruise director on "The Love Boat." I did not want to participate in any team sports. The boys were mean, loud and smelly. And I abhorred gym class. Getting changed in front of other boys terrified me. Clearly, I was not just a typical gay child. I was stereotypical.

Unlike the bullies I repeatedly suffered under throughout my entire public school career, my parents never made me feel anything less than accepted and loved. They cherished me for me, celebrating my uniqueness and were always my biggest cheerleaders.

I came out to my folks and my friends in my late teens, and no one blinked. Probably because in their minds they thought, 'Obvious. Table for one.' I received universal support from both my family and my friends. Coming out provided me with the confidence to stand up to my tormenters and confront them about their homophobia.

In the words of my parents, upon my coming out:
"Well, we always knew you were special."

And YOU are special, kids. Celebrate it and never forget that fact.

Brad’s first, famous-person sex crush:
John Schneider ("The Dukes of Hazzard")
I remember the skinny dipping episode, and I was so, um, “moved” that I wrote him a fan letter asking that similar 'unclothed' episodes be made. And John responded by sending his biggest, gay, 8 year old fan an autographed photo!
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