Danny

Danny, age 5
Brownwood, Texas (1956)

Looks a little too happy for a small-town Texas kid, doesn't it? I love this picture now, and about two years later, I knew it was boys I liked.

I experimented with the boys around me through Cub and Boy Scouts during junior and high school, and I came out once I was on my own.

I don't remember much in the way of teasing or bullying as I was growing up. For one thing,
I was smarter than the rest of the kids in my classes, so the teachers noticed me.

I also had a big brother who was tough. Unlike the rest of my family, he looked out for me.

Soon after this photo was taken, the rest of my family began mocking my comedy and dance routines. They would drag me out and make me perform in front of neighbors - for the express purpose of everyone having a laugh, but me.

And not the good-natured kind of laughter.

But when I got away from them 13 years later, I became a professional performer and pursued it for 20 years.

So my advice to the gay kids of today is: Keep your dreams close.
And don't give anyone the power to take them away from you.

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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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LA CA event - March 5th

This Monday, March 5th in Los Angeles - The Village Variety Pack presents our 1st Anniversary Celebration party and it's gonna be a super fun event!

We'll be featuring slides from the blog, and 3 amazing guests
will be appearing live to read their growing up gay stories:

Sutan Amrull (aka Raja Gemini, Season 3 winner of Ru Paul's Drag Race)
Todd Hughes (filmmaker, "Hits So Hard")
Clinton Leupp (aka the inimitable Miss Coco Peru)

Also part of this wonderful night of talent is:
Peter Mac as Judy Garland
Uncle Gay & Aunt Bitter (aka comics Tony Tripoli & Penelope Lombard)
The Forever Young Chorale Group
Charles Romaine, singer

Tickets are $15 ** and available at:
- www.lagaycenter.org - or by calling (323) 860-7300
All proceeds benefit the LA Gay & Lesbian Center's youth outreach programs.
** Use the password "GAGA" at the box office for $8 tickets!
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Aimee

Aimee, age 8
Portland, Oregon (1981)

Hello! My name is Aimee and I was born this way in Oregon.

The closest professional football team was the Seattle Seahawks, and although my brother was given a San Francisco Giants uniform, I was the only one to wear mine daily.

I was active in sports and I thank the drafters of Title 9, as that allowed for girls to express non-traditional feminine attributes. And that was a big deal in 1972!

Although some freedoms of expression were encouraged during my childhood, I grew up in a homophobic environment.

I did not feel comfortable coming out until I left home at age 17. Since then,
I have been very active supporting LGBTQ youth and now work as a professor teaching human sexuality to undergraduates.

My message for LGBTQ youth who feel alone is: please know there is a loving community of LGBTQ adults who have experienced some or most of what you may be feeling today - and it does get better.

You are not alone, so reach out and you will find an open hand.
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Also check out "My First Gay Crush Blog"

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:: Happy 1st Birthday! ::

Hey everyone!
Today (January 9th 2012) marks the 1st birthday of this blog!
I shared some of my thoughts about everything on Facebook here.



And in honor of this amazing milestone, I'd like to feature the first
10 people who submitted their story and photo to the blog a year ago
- just in case you didn't get to scroll back that far! They were truly those who got the whole project rolling, so let's celebrate them!


Here they are below. Click on their names and enjoy!
AND THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT THIS YEAR!


xo - Your blogmaster, Paul V.
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Kevin, age 4
Cozad, Nebraska (1964)

Laurie, age 4

Woodland Hills, California (1981)

Jackie Beat, age 8
Scottsdale, Arizona (1971)

Ghy, age 3
East LA, California (1974)


Kurt, age 12

Chicago, Illinois (1968)

Brandon, age 4

Denver, Colorado (1980)

Felipe, age 4

Los Angeles, California (1983)

Jason, age 4
San Diego, California (1985)

Bradley, age 5

Wisconsin (1977)

Chase, age 6

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (1986)

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Also check out "My First Gay Crush Blog"

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Tracy

Tracy, age 12
Salem, Oregon (1972)

This was me on Christmas day, 1972. My poor mom went shopping for an outfit she thought I would like, and bought a shirt with a man's necktie attached as part of the shirt! I was devastated. My mom saw my face when I opened the gift.

I looked up at her, and with tears streaming down my face, and I said:

"You think I'm a boy????"

So my mom took that shirt, got her seam ripper out, and removed the necktie.

My life was unusual already, having deaf parents. I have deaf relatives on both sides of the family. It is hereditary. However, I do not have any hearing loss.

My mom taught me how to do everything.
I knew how to cook, clean, sew my own clothes and iron.

But as my dad didn't have a son at that time,
I learned his trade as well. He was a car painter, a body and fender man. I learned to mask, sand, and apply primer.

I knew I liked women at the age of five. I liked the way my first grade teacher smelled, and she was very affectionate and kind to all of us.

But I didn't know what being a lesbian meant. I had only one boy I talked to, but we never dated, and my first experience with a woman didn't happen until college.

As for the outfit, I wore it over and over, until I grew taller. I felt so cool!
And I still looked like a little dyke, even without a necktie!!!
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Click here - "Born This Way: Real Stories of Growing Up Gay" book
Click here - "My First Gay Crush Blog"
Click to follow my blog with Bloglovin' Tweet

Kyle

Kyle, age 3
Rammestein, Germany (1989)

I was always told by my parents that they knew that I would be different and special. I would walk around the house singing at the top of my lungs, and I loved talking to people. I was always so happy, loved bright colors, and loved to laugh. As you can see in my photo, I was doing both by age 3!

My parents always told me that they would love me no matter what happened.
I first knew I was different in the 4th grade, when I saw all the boys and girls holding hands with each other. I wanted to hold hands with a boy named Jesse, because he was nice to me.

When I was a pre-teen I had an antisocial phase, and I decided to come out of the closet at 14 for my own sanity. I mainly felt that being gay was my own business, and people didn't need to know. However, I couldn't open myself up to people in other ways, without being wholly honest about who I was.

So I came out and started making friends by being the funny guy. Since I was making everyone laugh, they didn't care who I was dating. As time went on, being gay was just something that was. I learned to surround myself with people who enjoyed me for me. I dated and learned lessons just like everyone else.

Since coming out, I have rarely felt "different" for being who I am. I have always been a big advocate of not letting my homosexuality define me. That's always the first thing I tell people who are curious about why I came out so early, and it's the advice that I give younger LGBT people now.

I'm not just a gay man, I am so much more than that.
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Click here - "Born This Way: Real Stories of Growing Up Gay" book
Click here - "My First Gay Crush Blog"
Click to follow my blog with Bloglovin' Tweet