Joshua

Joshua, age 12
Los Angeles, California (1995)

My childhood was a bumpy one. I was raised in Los Angeles by a single mother, who it turned out was suffering from Multiple Personality Disorder. Sadly, it was not as entertaining as "United States of Tara" is each week.

I knew I was different at the age of 10. Back then, I had intense crushes on all of my best friends growing up.

I bounced around between foster homes and group homes from age 10 to 15. I came out at 15, and it was the best decision I have ever made.

My best friend then knew I was in love with him, and was OK with that as long as I didn't 'try anything funny'.

And actually, after coming out, everyone was so kind and loving.

I'm now a professional ballet dancer, and I've been partnered with my husband and best friend for 7 years.


I'm going to grad school in the fall, and I'm making a documentary following a group LGBT kids in their early teens, to give voice to a younger demographic of kids experienceing this. If you'd like to participate, you can contact me HERE.

I love being gay, and I wouldn't want to be any other way. I hope my film helps kids come to that place in life a lot sooner than I did.

Things do GET better, but they'll also be better NOW if we do something about it. Someday, being young and gay will be as taboo as being young and short, or having freckles. And I want to make that day come soon.

Also check out "My First Gay Crush Blog"

Daniel

Daniel, age 5
Quincy, IL (1959)

When I was small, my family fished every weekend on the Mississippi river.
We'd use bamboo poles and earthworms and fish off my dad's home made boat.
We would fry the fish we caught for Saturday night supper.

I don't remember much from back then.
I know the facts, but they don't seem like they happened to me. I do remember not feeling different, I just always liked boys.

But I didn't like a lot of things boys did - sports, rough and tumble, competition. Fishing, yes. But I was also a bookworm, and liked growing flowers. I loved "Davey Crockett" on TV, and I had a coon-skin cap.

My parents loved me, but they didn't want me to be gay. I was bullied a lot, and I had a secret route that I walked home from school, to avoid the bullies. Growing up, the only thing I wanted to do was to leave town.

And I did.

My message to LGBTQ kids now is:
If people mistreat you, it means there's something wrong with them, not you.
It really does get better and better.

Daniel's first, famous-person same sex crush:
Greg Morris (on "Mission Impossible")
I think I became a tech geek partly because of him.
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Also check out "My First Gay Crush Blog"

Betty

Betty, age 7
Berkeley, California (1989)

My 1st clue that I was gay occurred before I was even born. My mother thought it would be an excellent idea to name me "Billie" i.e. after Billie Holiday. As a tomboy growing up, and later as an androgynous-variety lesbian often hit on by gay men, I find it hilarious that I very easily could have been named Billie.

I mean, how much more confusing would that have been when asked the dreaded "Are you a boy or a girl?" question?

That was often flung at me at recess.

Later in my life, it was the gay guys who'd ask me, "Hey there cutie, what's your name?"

The 2nd clue that I was born gay can be seen in Exhibit A:
This photo of me showing off my guns in my Little League uniform.

I loved sports, was on every team imaginable, and was often the only girl on the team. Especially SOFTBALL and BASKETBALL. Yes, I wrote those in all caps, because they are - after you include GOLF - the most lesbian of sports possible.

The 3rd and most compelling clue of my innate lesbianism, is that when I picture my future, I see two brides walking down the aisle. And later, having my own children whose first words are "mama" and "mommy."

And you know what? I feel extremely grateful that in a world that may sometimes frown on this particular version of a happily ever after, I can live each day feeling proud of who I am.

Yup, I am excited about my super awesome lesbian future.

Betty's first, famous-person same sex crush:
Geena Davis (in "A League Of Their Own")
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Also check out "My First Gay Crush Blog"

David

David, age 9
Longview, TX (1978)

"Grease" was the word back then, and I was no exception. Seeing John Travolta on the big screen gave me a funny feeling in my nether regions. And I knew then that something was different from the other boys who had the same reaction, except over Olivia Newton-John.

I believe I wore this T-shirt out.
It basically fell apart, and still I fought my mom to keep it.

The music of the day was, yes, disco, and I loved it: "Knock On Wood,"
"Le Freak," "Heart of Glass" etc.

I even had my very own polyester Hustle suit, performing "Do The Hustle" to anyone who'd watch.

It's no wonder I was picked on, since
I would wear my suit to school and dance The Hustle there as well.


Growing up in a small town isn't unique. Yet I felt the brunt of being different more, because I'd been molested during this time. In this photo, I see the David who trusted everyone. And a boy with deep sadness behind those smiling eyes.

My experiences as a young gay boy in a small - and small-minded - town were typical: extreme bullying from both boys and girls. Now that I can look back,
I still see the looks on the faces of those who were fearful of what I represented.

But now, I also see the fear in their eyes. They're the product of parents who were ignorant, and it trickled down to their children.

Life has been kind to me through the years, so I can, with ease, forgive those trespasses against me. And I am more able to love and receive love, because of the tough experiences that I thought would never to end.

But they most certainly do end, and life gets so much more rich as one matures.
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Also check out "My First Gay Crush Blog"

Sandy

Sandy, age 10
Etiwanda, CA (1979)

I was always a "tomboy" growing up. My parents allowed me to participate in team sports, which was rare for girls during the 1970's. The organization I played for was called Miss Softball America, and they wouldn't allow girls to wear sliding pants. So we had to wear these mini skirt/shorts combinations.

I grew up loving softball and was the only freshman on the Varsity team in high school.

I started getting crushes on girls that I played softball with when I was around 8-years old. Of course,
I didn't think of them as crushes.
I just thought I was normal and that everyone felt as intensely towards their friends as I did.

My family was ultra conservative and religious, so I don't even remember hearing the word, "lesbian" until I got older.

I was never really interested in boys, but had some boyfriends growing up. Usually those boys liked me, because I could play ball with them.

Even in high school while my friends were going boy crazy, I was too busy writing poetry for my female friends. I still didn't think of myself as a lesbian.

It wasn't until I moved out on my own that I discovered my sexuality. The first time I kissed a woman, I finally understood why I had never felt passionate about a man before. It was a completely different experience, and it felt totally normal. My childhood of crushing on girls finally made sense!

That was many years ago, and I have never felt ashamed or wrong. And I have to laugh when I see people saying homosexuality is a "learned behavior."

I was totally and completely exposed only to heterosexuality as a kid - and I still came out gay. And I'm still playing softball today. Now at age 41, I'm loving my life as an out and proud lesbian.

Sandy's first, famous-person same sex crushes:
Sharon Gless (on "Cagney & Lacey")
Dana Delany (on "China Beach")
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Also check out "My First Gay Crush Blog"

Reidar

Reidar, age 7
Seattle, Washington (1975)

Just a submission of me on my 7th birthday. I loved my Big Josh doll, who was a friend of Big Jim.

Our parents would usually try to get my brother and I similar gifts.

As our birthdays are just days apart,
Big Josh was my present.

Even though I had no idea what gay was back then, I knew I really liked that doll.....er....."action figure" a lot.

And I think my pic sure shows it. LOL!

My message to youth is:
Be yourself. The world today is a better place because of diversity.
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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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