Dennis

Dennis, age 7

Manila, Philipines (1978)

Mabuhay! I'm Dennis from the Philippines. I really like your blog, because it's so inspiring and uplifting. Recently, I created my own album of gay baby pictures on Facebook for my friends. But here, I wanted to add some more Asian flavor to your wonderful galleries.

This was shot during playtime/dragtime, with my female cousins and my brother. Look closely, and you'll see my heavy make-up - LOL!

Based on my pose, you can really and truly say that I was born with a "Type G" blood - GAY. But as a young child, I didn't know I was gay.

My parents were always very supportive, and didn't have negative reactions regarding my behavior.

Although, when I asked for a doll, they gave me a Humpty Dumpty stuffed toy instead.

I loved watching "Charlie's Angels," "Wonder Woman," and "Knots Landing" with my family. Being different wasn't an issue, but I grew up with an older brother, and attended an all-boys Catholic school.

Yes, I played basketball and other rough boys' games. But when I reached my teen years, this picture played a very important role in my life. When I saw it again about 6 years ago, a realization or confirmation happened.

The pose, the clothes, and specially the pout, reminded me that I was born gay. Then, this teen became a queen, and I lived happily ever after.

Thank you for your blog. And thank you, God - because I was born this way.
"We are the future, seeing the beginnings of another stage of human evolution."
- a quote from "X-Men"

Dennis' first, famous-person same sex crush:

Scott Baio (in "Zapped")

_____________________________________________________

Jason

Jason, age 8

Page, Arizona (1984)

I'm the middle child in a family of 10 boys, no girls. My parents were (and still are) ultra-conservative Mormons. To top it all off, my dad was the Phys Ed. coach at our local middle school. Which, I suppose, makes him more of a lesbian?

I have so many funny memories from my childhood. Luckily, I was blessed with a healthy dose of innocence to protect me from the repressed social 'norms' all around me.

I knew from age 5 that I was attracted to other boys. All my best friends were girls, but all my crushes were boys.

Back then, I figured everyone felt that same way, so there was no need to talk about it. 

In my pic, all the obvious signs were there for the whole world to see:

Leather boots, bow tie, carrying my Cabbage Patch doll (named Clifford), and protectively mothering my younger brothers for the photo. That's Josh, Jacob, and Sam with me here.

What I wish I had, is a picture of my pink flannel E.T. night gown! My mother had received a box of donated clothes, and when I searched through them and found that 'gem', I became obsessed!

I would come home from school, take off my school clothes, and don my night gown. I was obviously very comfortable in it, because one day I wore it while riding bikes with my neighborhood friends. Which is when and a kid shot me (twice) with a BB gun! Imagine, my first gay hate crime at age 7!

I also remember my infatuation with Wonder Woman. It went beyond idolizing her - I wanted to BE her! I'd sneak around into our side yard and pray to God with every fiber in my being, to PLEASE let me turn into Wonder Woman.
I did the spin, and when nothing happened - I literally balled my eyes out!

There are certainly more stories, like drama class, choir, and being the only boy on the clogging team for 5 years. Yes, I was a River Dancer years before it became a cheese-tastic phenomenon.

All these years later, I'm so grateful for all the colorful experiences that shaped my childhood. I've gone through some struggles with my family, but I'm happy to say it's all been worth it. The biggest victories have come from being exactly who I am at all costs. And I can honestly say I'm proud of the man I am today.

It's my sincere belief that the best way we inspire others, is to live by example.

And I hope that the gay and lesbian youth of today continue to embrace the uniqueness, that is inherently ours for the taking!
_____________________________________________________

Click here - "Born This Way: Real Stories of Growing Up Gay" book
Click here - "My First Gay Crush Blog"

Tweet

Patrick

Patrick, age 8

Pascagoula, MS (1988)

From an early age I was one of those little boys that liked to play dress up. I never cross dressed exactly, but feminine accessories interested me.

I was about 6 when my grandma caught me playing with her "robber purse", a decoy purse with a $10 bill she left lying around the house.

At 8, my cousin caught me trying on this French beret and scarf, seen in my pic. I guess I grew out of all this, as I'm not at all into fashion now, and never wear scarves.

I'd be lying if I said I knew from an early age I was gay. I suspected in high school, and didn't really deal with it until I was in college. The writing was on the wall though.

I did always know that I was a little different, and more quiet and contemplative than most kids. My favorite things in the world was watching "The Golden Girls," "Designing Women," and "Steel Magnolias" with my grandma.

This was all fun and normal to me, until I grew up enough to be tainted by the outside world's idea of what "normal" was.

My family was great though, always letting me just be myself. When I finally came out to my folks, their response was that they had suspected it since I was barely 5 years old!

There was actually a big "what if" discussion about it, when I came swishing into the room, as my parents and their friends sat around at a party. In hindsight,
I wish they would have told me.

My coming out may have been easy, but it didn't make growing up gay in small town Mississippi easy. Peers were not so understanding, and life was pretty tough until college. But as I have grown up, things have gotten better. And in college,
I finally began to integrate all the feelings I had been having.

The biggest thing I want kids to realize, is that all of those things that made me so different back then, just make me interesting and fun to others now. When I talk to my gay friends about growing up, most of them have had similar experiences.

So to all the questioning, curious, LGBTQ kids out there, I say: Hang in there!
Just be yourself, and it will all come out in the wash.

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

Michael J. Fox

____________________________________________________

Evan

Evan, age 6

Penang, Malaysia (1968)

I was a very shy and introverted kid. Being in an upper class family, I went to the best schools. But for some strange reason, kids in elementary school avoided me, so I did the same towards them.

I guess I first felt same-sex urges when
I was about 5. We had an adult male on staff in our house, and I recall being very attracted to him. One morning, before everyone was awake, I climbed into bed with him.

Nothing happened, but I felt a great sense of warmth and security. I liked it so much, I made it a habit to wake up early, just to snuggle in next to him.

Then one morning my elder sister "caught" me, and had a disgusted look on her face. It was enough to stop me from any further sleep-in's!

I never told anyone about my homosexuality until my late 20's.

Aside from a brief "encounter" with the family chauffeur, I never fooled around with another boy until I was 11. I wasn’t scared at all. In fact, I was very calm about the whole thing, while it lasted.

My intuition told me that my dad knew I was different, even if he didn't say much. He always told me I was his special child, so that might have been his way of acknowledging my difference.

I came out to my mom after dad died, which was a big mistake. She didn't do anything harsh, but she was totally cold. It was a good thing I'd been living on my own by then.

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

Kevin Tighe (on TV's "Emergency")

I carried his autographed picture with me everywhere, and I was proud of it.
_____________________________________________________

Grant

Grant, age 4

Bay Area, California (1969)

In 1968, I was "The Flying Nun" for Halloween, as I was obsessed with her TV show. Everyone had a big laugh over the boy in a dress! But being so young,
I really didn't understand what all the fuss was about.

I kept wearing my magical dress for playtime, all the way through here, in the summer of '69. I started to sense that I was different from anyone I knew.

By the time I was 12, it dawned on me that I was gay. And I felt that if anyone found out about my attraction to boys, I would be utterly destroyed. I desperately did whatever it took to seem straight, like dating girls and playing football, etc.

By the time I was 25, I was like a dam with a thousand cracks in it, and I finally came out to my friends and family. They were all totally supportive, but it was tough for my parents at first. 

They came around though, and my dad ended up happily walking me down the aisle when I got married to my man, 4 years ago.

Today, I couldn't be happier with my amazing husband (we've been together for 7 years), our 2 dogs, and my job as an illustrator in New York.

If you feel alienated, or having trouble accepting who you are - hang in there! There is no "normal," and what you're trying to hide or suppress now, will soon become one of your greatest gifts. And a source of strength.

Just like that little boy in the nun dress, be true to yourself.
And you will learn to fly, too!

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

Glen Campbell (singer)
___________________________________________________

Click here - "Born This Way: Real Stories of Growing Up Gay" book
Click here - "My First Gay Crush Blog"

Tweet

Matt

Matt, age 8

Oxnard, CA (1993)

I can tell you the moment when I knew something was "different" about me.
It was around the time of this photo, and I was with a group of boys the same age and slightly older. One of the older boys took his shirt off, and I couldn't stop staring. The exact thought that ran through my head was, 'What is happening? Why can't I take my eyes off of him?'

As years passed, many issues of Tiger Beat read, letters to Jonathan Taylor Thomas written, and countless viewings of "Steel Magnolias," I was still in the proverbial closet. And I had no clue.

In high school, I had a crush on the head cheerleader, but secretly longed for the football captain. It was, give or take, around this moment that I knew I was not different.

I was gay.

I didn't come out until I was 20-years old. And my foot was completely out of the closet door when I told my parents at 21.

Telling my parents was the hardest part, but with the reassurance of my amazing sister and two older cousins, I knew everything would be OK.

I can only hope they know how important their support was during this time. Looking back on those years, I cringe just thinking about how alone and isolated I made myself.



I was so wrapped up in my own head, I failed to realize all the people around me that loved me, for me. If I could do it all over again, I would never forget that.

So to those of you now:

Please enjoy Tiger Beat, watching "Steel Magnolias," and remember that people love you, for you. And you were indeed born this way, and it's a beautiful thing!

Now, if only I had the other picture of me, wearing a bra with two baseballs in each cup!
____________________________________________________

Rick

Rick, age 6

Albany, NY (1974)

This photo was taken circa 1974, and as you can see, I had a "thing" for cleaning. Perhaps it was the pink vacuum cleaner? Perhaps it was the cute striped pants I was sporting? Either way, I seemed quite comfortable tackling the floors in the apartment my parents rented from my grandparents.

I knew I was different very young. But, it wasn't until my sister's Bat Mitzvah (when I fell head over heels in love with the DJ), that I knew I was gay. It was while hearing Steve Winwood's "If You See a Chance" that I knew I liked men.

I think I liked all the cultural things that most gay kids in the 70's did. I had a thing for the Bionic Woman, Wonder Woman, and begged my mom to let me watch "Charlie's Angels." I distinctly remember a Madonna "cassette" while vacationing at Lake George in '83. Madonna was my savior as an awkward teen.

Through grade school till high school without a steady girlfriend, in my senior year of college, I had a date with a girl named Wendy. And it all made sense.
We worked together, and Wendy was hell bent on getting me back to her dorm.

Once in her dorm, she played her VHS of "The Seventh Sign" and started making out with me. And, it happened. I politely excused myself, ran outside of the dorm, found a quiet corner, and hurled. Hurled away all of my thoughts that I could EVER be straight! It was truly, a turning point.

The next day, I sat my mom down and told her I had something important to tell her. I was 22, and I came out. It was a beautiful experience. Her response was,
"I knew, but wanted you to tell me, so you could be truthful to yourself. And I love you." I'm incredibly lucky in that the rest of my family felt the same way.

After a brief period of time as a teen when I never cleaned my room, I've now graduated to vacuuming with a Dyson, which is used frequently.
______________________________________________________

Raymond

Raymond, age 7

Madison, KS (1988)

When I first came across this picture looking through the old family album with my mother, the only thing I could say was: "Mother, you can't tell me you didn't know. I mean really: a pink tank top and short shorts?" She looked at me and laughed, and said that she had always known.

Growing up, I always knew I was different.
I wasn't interested in getting girlfriends like my brothers did. I was too busy watching sappy love stories on TV, and playing Barbies with my sister and her best friend.

In junior high, I really started to hide who
I was, because that's when the name-calling started. It wasn't really said to my face, but
I heard people talking behind my back.

I do feel that I had a pretty good childhood.
I had friends and loved my family. I'm 1 of 4 kids, with an older brother and sister, and a younger brother.

At 18, I decided it was finally time to come out of the closet and let the world know exactly who I was. And I was scared out of my mind!

One night, I went to my parents' house around 2:00 in the morning. I went in their bedroom, woke them up, blurted out that I was gay, and out the door I ran!

By the time I got back home, the phone was ringing. I reluctantly answered it, and it was my mother. The first thing she said was she loved me, and that they had always known. And my response was, "Then why didn't you tell me, so I didn't have to tell you?"

My entire family has been great with the whole thing, and never once looked down on me because of who I am. I know they love me and my partner, just as much as they love my other siblings and their significant others.

Raymond's first, famous-person same sex crushes:

Mark-Paul Gosselaar (on "Saved By The Bell")

Patrick Swayze (in "Dirty Dancing")
___________________________________________________

Cameron

Cameron, age 5

Milton Keynes, UK (1994)

I knew I was a homosexual long before this picture was taken, but I've always maintained that I wasn’t gay till my teens. For me, being a homosexual is a biological fact, and being gay is a culture you can dip into, if the waters are warm.

Aside from playing Truth Or Dare as a young boy, where of course Truth never reared its head, my childhood was pretty unremarkable.

A discerning eye might say that being an only child from a single parent family is worth a detailed mention.
But I never thought it was, and feel my family is complete.

I'd like to think as a child I wasn't effeminate. But lord, was I posh.

Coupled with the fact that while boys were attractive, girls made infinitely better company. So I guess I had my own yellow-brick road.

Thinking back though, I wish I'd dared to ask a boy in my class to the school dance.

When I "came out" at 14, I faced some bullying at school. And what hit me, literally, was the reaction from some other kids around where I lived as a teen.

Being punched the floor, kicked, and called "f*ggot" and "queer" is something I've never been able to put out of my mind. Looking back, I regret my own cowardice. Not for failing to stand up to them, but being too ashamed to tell my Mum the truth of what happened.

A huge turning point for me was when my Mum called me one day. She told me she'd found a Christmas card that said "To my Son and his Boyfriend" - and how nice she thought that was.

Today, I'm a student at the University of East London. I've worked hard to establish our LGBT Society, and we now have 70+ members. I hope to become an LGBT Officer one day and to help promote LGBT equality. The Society made a video in aid of this, and I'd like to share it with you here.

Thanks for reading, and be yourself.

Katherine

Katherine, age1

Chicago, IL (1960)

That's me on the left, being pushed by MY OWN MOTHER to kiss my second cousin Cheryl. I found this in some boxes of old pictures at my dad's house. Though both my parents had been through those boxes numerous times to rummage for scrapbook-worthy snaps, they never chose this one.... hmmm.

Many years later, on the night my mom and I had that conversation, she asked, "What did I do to make you this way?" I wonder now if she was thinking about this picture, pondering: "DAMN. She was fine until that one idiotic party when someone had the bright idea to make the two adorable moptops smooch."

My mom died 5 years ago, and I wish I could have told her that the Christmas party incident recorded in the photo did not "make" me a lesbian. She certainly knew that the other girl in the picture was not a lesbian, so maybe I'm wrong.

I never needed mom's help after that to move in the direction of other girls!
Anyway, I love this picture and I'm glad I rescued it from cardboard box oblivion.

My message to young gay people:

Your family members value integrity, honesty, and loyalty - more than they value observance of social conventions. Or an adherence to a presumed moral code. But, give them some time to remember this after you tell them.

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

Julie Andrews (in "Mary Poppins")

______________________________________________________