5

I was asked to write about what being gay means to me. I originally wrote something different, but I am going to rewrite that thought. What being gay means to me is openly being completely okay with what makes me happy. It took me a long time to come to the conclusion that I am this person, and I am no different than any other person. I grew up with very unaccepting parents. To this day, I still battle with my parents to accept me for who I am. As a child, I distinctly remember a book my mother gave me. “Strangers in a Christian Land.” She went through the book, highlighting various areas that she felt pertained to me, and could help me on my “journey to find god and my way back into the heterosexual lifestyle.” It was at that moment, in my 14-15 year old teenage body, that I decided I would never be anything other than what I felt was true and comfortable. I never looked back. Being gay to me means nothing more than being another person amongst the human race. Choosing to be gay isn’t anywhere in the equation, but choosing to be truly happy and loving whoever my heart desires to be with..that’s all that matters to me.