January 12, 2011

Tim

Tim, age 10
Cambridge, Massachusetts (1979)

I was either very naive or very brave to rock this look at my Baptist church Halloween party. My neighbor Cheryl kept her identity hidden, for fear of association. I think I looked damn good, in a Jon-Benet Ramsey meets Anita Bryant kind of way.

"Jon Benet Ramsey meets Anita Bryant"
I first started to notice I was different in Kindergarten when I brought my Mrs. Beasley doll in for Show & Tell. Nobody made a big deal about it then.

It wasn't until 5th grade when I started to realize that I wanted to kiss the boys and hang out with the girls - instead of the other way around.

The homophobic bullying started soon after. 

Tim's first, famous-person same sex crush: Aquaman
A man with wavy blond hair, gills, & green tights always charges my batteries!
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Click here - "Born This Way: Real Stories of Growing Up Gay" book
Click here - "My First Gay Crush Blog"


5 comments:

Alana said...

Love Aquaman!! Read Christopher Marlowe's "Hero and Leander." I think you may get a kick out of it!

Anonymous said...

This photo is perfection. I love the way the camera captured you sitting very prim and proper with your hands in mid-clap or something while your friend Cheryl is slouching wide-legged in her chair. Btw, I had that very same scary-looking Mickey Mouse mask, too.

timothy grant said...

I actually was slapping the back of my right hand against my left in kind of a "chop, chop" "take the damn picture" already fashion. You are witnessing the birth of attitude.

Jim A said...

the bracelet is fabulous, but then just about everything about this photo is! Where'd you get the frock?

timothy grant said...

I think it was my sisters.