Skip to main content

It Gets Better

I came out when I was seventeen. I was terrified. Truly, utterly terrified.

Not that people would make fun of me or not accept me, but that I would be alone.

I was scared of being alone.

There was only one other gay kid in my high school, and after five days of dating him, we broke up, and then I was...on my own.

Don't get me wrong. I had wonderful friends, and I was able to keep my family from finding out about my sexuality until I was ready for them to hear it, but still, I felt isolated.

I felt like I was never going to be in a relationship like my friends were. I couldn't have that romantic prom date everybody else seemed to have. I couldn't kiss in the hallways or have a high school sweetheart.

All because there just wasn't anybody else but me.

But then it got better.

I went to college, and I found out that there were other gay people out there in the world. There were other people who felt how I felt. And looking back, all those prom fantasies and high school sweetheart dreams were...mostly only real in my head.

Just about everyone I went to high school with was struggling with the same things I was struggling with, we just all kept our struggles to ourselves.

I think you'll find in life that happens a lot.

One of my favorite teachers told me that everyone's scared that if people knew what was going on inside their heads, they'd be universally hated.

Trust me, everybody's got the same beautiful assortment of wisdom and nonsense up there.

I know that some of you are struggling and in some cases, some of you are just desperately trying to survive, so let me leave you with this.

There is a world you haven't seen yet so massive and amazing that if you need something to fight for, fight for the chance to see that world.

I'm twenty-six and there's still so much I haven't seen. At sixteen and seventeen, there were so many great people I hadn't met yet. There were so many great experiences I hadn't had. There was so much passion and strength within myself I hadn't discovered yet.

You have that strength and that passion as well.

You just don't know it yet.

Fight for the chance to see the things you haven't seen yet. Fight for it until your last breath.

Don't give it up.

Don't rob the world of the person you are, and the person you could be.

It gets better.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A List of People Who Can Go to Hell Now That I Can't Have Elizabeth Warren

So today was a rough day for everybody who isn't a @#$%-ing #$%hole. Let's just start there. If that upsets you, by all means, go straight to hell. This entire rant is going to be exactly what it sounds like. I am mad and I am going to exercise my right to BLOG ABOUT IT LIKE IT'S 1995, SO BUCKLE UP, BUTTERCUP. I really don't even know where to start, so let's just jump right in with the first person who comes to mind. Bloomberg, go to hell.  You really didn't have anything specific to do with today, but you can just go to hell for spending an ungodly amount of money on literally nothing.  I mean, you could have lit millions of dollars on fire and at least warmed the hands of the homeless, but instead, you made tv stations across the country that are already owned by Conservatives rich, so kudos to you and go to hell. Amy Klobuchar, I STUCK UP FOR YOU AMY.  I got into FIGHTS on SOCIAL MEDIA while DEFENDING your sorry, self-interested ass.  You know ...
42 comments
Read more

Theater and the Outbreak

After last week's interview, a representative from a theater that recently experienced the results of opening too soon reached out to speak with me. I want to thank this person for coming forward in the hopes that it'll change some minds about what's safe and what isn't when it comes to the performing arts. Here's the interview: ME:  So this wasn't a full production or-- THEM:  No. It was us trying to do a little something for friends and donors. ME:  Who is 'us?' THEM:  The board of _____. ME:  And how long have you been on the board? THEM:  Three years. ME:  What was this going to be? THEM:  There's a, uh, beautiful park here in town, and we wanted to do an outdoor performance of a Shakespeare as a benefit, because, as you know, theaters are having a hard time right now paying the bills. We checked with the local government and the health department for the state to make sure we were doing everything the way we needed to in order to keep everyon...
7 comments
Read more

People You Know Are More Important Than People You Don't Know

This post is in response to arguing with people--straight and gay alike--about a certain celebrity, whether or not she's an ally, if she's pandering, if pandering matters, and whether or not I'm an asshole. The last part is probably an enthusiastic "Yes" but let's reflect on this for a bit anyway without actually giving more time to an argument about a person none of us know, which is a crucial part of what I want to talk about. People you know are more important than people you don't know. I realize it's tricky in an age where we've never been closer or more engaged to our celebrities to keep in mind that we do not know them, they are not our friends, and while we may love them and stan and feel like we're attacked when they're attacked-- That is not true. That is not real. They are in no tangible way connected to us. Now, as someone who is obsessed with pop culture, I get that it's a little hypocritical for me to be making...
Post a Comment
Read more