Thread: Me

<div align="center">Growing up Crooked</div>

When my cousin and I were five years old we were joined at the hip. There was never a moment that we were not together. One day, when my dad was out to the store, my cousin came up with the idea that we get one of my dad’s “magazines.” This was a big thing for me, because I was kind of nervous about the idea. I always tried to be the good boy that did not want to get caught. When I told him this, he told me to get over myself and to go get it. When I came back upstairs from getting the “reading material,” after I complained about how he should go get it for five minutes, we started to look through it. While we were looking through it I was thinking to myself, “Why am I not looking at it like he is? His eyes are so HUGE. Why don’t I look like that?”

Even though I did not know what the term was, I knew from then that I was different: I knew that I was gay. When I think back all those years ago, I noticed things. I was the one who did not want to get dirty, or play sports. I was the one who always tried to look so pristine. The boys from school would always tease me and ask “Why won’t you play basketball with us?” I thought my response to this, “Because I don’t want to get dirty.” But the comeback I received was not what I expected. “Dude, you’re acting like a girl” Hearing this made me think, “What is acting like girl got to do with me not wanting to get my clothes dirty?” I saw that just worrying about my clothes and how I looked was just one of the clear signs that I was just a little different then the other boys.

In the 8th grade, I had a girlfriend. We were the best of friends. We, like my cousin and I, were joined at the hip. We did everything that a couple would do, minus the physical stuff. When she would come to me wanting to be physical, I would push her away and say that I was not ready for it. This eventually led to me having to tell her why. When I told she got so mad that we “broke up.” I lost a good friend that I don’t know how to talk to anymore.

Girls were an alien life form to me. I was like an elementary kid afraid of getting cooties when a girl touched me. This attitude came with me when I moved on up to high school.
In high school I made so many new friends just because I was gay. One of my greatest friends just came up to me and asked me if I was gay. I was taken aback when she said this. When I answered truthfully she said, “Yay! We can be best friends now!” When I heard this I said, “Okay, we have a crazy person loose in the school.” But after I got over this and realized she was a great person we became the best of friends.
During my junior year, I finally came out to my parents. When I told my mom and dad that I was gay, they were more supportive then I thought they would be. After I told my best friend about it she was ecstatic. She told me we had to go out to lunch and get the fattiest meal we could think of. This in it self made me realize that just because I am more unique than other people that it does not mean that I can’t be myself and have the greatest possible time in my life.

Coming out was the best thing that ever could have happened to me. Doing it gave me the boost that I need to be more confident about my self and to open to things that are beyond my control.

congrats demon, it&#39;s good that your friends were supportive of you through it all. Alot of people don&#39;t like to talk about things like that but you stood up and did. good for you. =)