Showing posts with label 2000's. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2000's. Show all posts

February 13, 2018

Samantha

Samantha, age 3
Wildomar, California (2001)

I’m the one in the diaper with all my brothers and three family friends in the back. It was my birthday and everybody had been wearing boxers the whole day so, obviously, I was in my pull up! My mom made everyone "dress up" for pictures -- but I refused.


I was always naked back then. I didn’t even know the difference between boys and girls until I had to use a separate bathroom in first grade.

Being raised with seven boys made me think I was a boy, too. I just didn’t know any different. I wore their hand-me-downs, and we played with (and destroyed) toys together. It was just my life.

I didn’t know what gay was until my dad told me never to come home with another girl or he’d kick me out. I wouldn’t even hold my best friend's hand in school for fear of being seen as gay. But I wore the label “Tomboy” proudly in my oversized T-shirts and baseball caps!

Seventeen years after this photo was taken, me and two of the boys behind me are proudly gay. Both parents struggled with it, but they’ve been so supportive. They love me and I’m so grateful to have them.

After depression, anxiety, suicide attempts, and self harm, I’m much better now. I’m in college and proudly lesbian. I love who I am and I’m not ashamed of it.
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Click here - "Born This Way: Real Stories of Growing Up Gay" book
Click here - "My First Gay Crush Blog"
Click to follow this blog with Bloglovin'

April 20, 2017

Karli

Karli, age 4
Courtice, Ontario, Canada (2001)

Growing up, I was always a tomboy of sorts. I preferred to play with boys as a kid, I always wanted the "boy toy" from McDonalds, and I always preferred movies where the lead female was the hero rather than being a helpless princess.


You can even see the difference in these pictures: the extremely fake smile that I had while dressed as a princess, compared to the one I was dressed as a cowgirl, taken either moments before or after.

In Canada, our junior kindergarten school pictures were done in costume to be "fun" for young kids. I remember that day very specifically, because I wanted to dress as the knight, having picked that from the table of costumes.

But I was told I wasn't allowed to because it was one of the "boy costumes," and they made me wear the princess one. I was much happier with the cowgirl outfit, especially since "Toy Story 2" was one of my favorite movies.

This was probably the first time I felt that society was telling me I couldn't be who I wanted to be.

Thankfully, my parents didn't care how I dressed or what toys I wanted to play with when I was younger, proven to me more when I was 5 and I dressed as Spider-Man for Halloween.

Luckily, my generation is growing up in a time where gender non-conformity is not that big a deal. When I eventually came out, my parents weren't too shocked and they accepted me wholeheartedly.

I always find it funny to look back at these two pictures because it's very obvious which costume I was more comfortable in.
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Click here - "Born This Way: Real Stories of Growing Up Gay" book
Click here - "My First Gay Crush Blog"
Click to follow this blog with Bloglovin'

October 12, 2016

Tori

Tori, age 4
Columbus, Georgia (2002)

All I know is I didn't want to dance with that boy. I pouted the entire time, because no one would let me dance with my best friend Sydney. 14 years later, and I would still rather dance with a pretty girl. Gay as hell now, gay as hell then.


But, growing up I wasn't always so happy to accept that. I struggled with internalized hatred and disgust for a long time. And when I finally had found the self acceptance and love to come out to my family and my friends, they said:
"Why didn't you tell us sooner? Why did you lie to us?"

And, yes, I have extremely accepting and loving people in my life, and they deserved to know. But I was frustrated that no one could understand that I was not afraid of them, but of myself - and of all the people out there who do not share their open minds. 

And above all, my coming out was not about them.
It was not something they had the right to feel angry with me for.

I think it is hard for family members to grasp what it is like to grow up knowing you are different in a way that many do not accept. And not in a "I like weird clothes or weird music and they make fun of me" kinda way, but in a "I love who I love and some people would kill me for that" kinda way. And they'll try, but they may never understand what it is that drives so many of us to hide who we are, and even pretend to be who we are not. 

That doesn't make them any less loving or caring or accepting, it just makes them human. They have no way of knowing what it is like, they can't read our thoughts. They can't relive our experiences or feel our hearts sink every time something hateful is spit at us. They can't imagine what it is like to be afraid to hold the hand of the person they love while they walk on the sidewalk. But they are trying -- always, always trying to empathize and learn and change.

I am so grateful to have people who love me and are willing to try and to change. And to now be able to say that I love myself too. 

I just want anyone out there that's having a hard time finding self-acceptance to know that so many others have felt that pain too. You are beautiful, and there is nothing wrong with you, nothing you should try to change or hide. 

When you learn to love yourself, you get to be proud, and be a part of a community of amazing people. You get to laugh and smile and love wholeheartedly without feeling like you are wrong. 

And I wouldn't trade such a colorful, diverse, and happy life for anything. 
Let yourself in so you can let others in.
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Click here - "Born This Way: Real Stories of Growing Up Gay" book
Click here - "My First Gay Crush Blog"
Click to follow my blog with Bloglovin'

June 14, 2015

My Gay Pride: Dragstrip 66!



Hey, Born This Way bloggers!
As it's Gay Pride month (and weekend here in Los Angeles),
I'm sharing with you my personal gay pride: an LA nightclub event I co-created in 1993 called DRAGSTRIP 66

We wanted to create a monthly gathering with a simple goal: EVERYONE would be invited, welcomed, and celebrated!

The music would be eclectic, we'd put on a great show, and encourage patrons to express themselves without fear or judgement.

Nina Hagen joined us at our 1st Anniversary in January 1994!
And wow, the club became an instant phenomenon. 
It became so much bigger than just us: it became about community! And it lasted an incredible and unprecedented 20 years!

So we are documenting this once-in-a-lifetime convergence of '90's alternative music, queer politics, and a subversive drag ethos that defined Silver Lake and Dragstrip 66’s punk/glam/camp aesthetic.

Check out our sizzle reel:


And our 10-minute "Featurette"


You can follow the movie project here:

Dragstrip66TheFrockumentary

THANK YOU!!!
AND HAPPY GAY PRIDE TO EVERYONE!
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March 26, 2014

Tatiana

Tatiana, age 12 
Moscow Region, Russia (2000)

I’ve always known I was different. My first flashes of strange feelings started to appear when I was 4 years old and continued to grow inside of me each year.

At school I realized I wasn't discussing boys like the other girls.

I tried to convince myself I liked men or boys (at least in movies and music bands), but it was all false.

Then I saw "her" for the first time when I was around age 8.

She was a teacher who came to take my classmate from school. And I was standing there, shocked and speechless for about 30 minutes.

Her beauty captured me.

Next year, she came in the classroom to say she would be our math teacher for the next 7 years!

I was terribly in love with her for that entire time, but I didn’t know there was something wrong feeling that way. She saw what was happening to me, but obviously she couldn’t do anything to help me get over it.

Many years have passed since then. Like the majority of people in our country, she hates me and thinks I’m a weird lesbian who was trying to seduce her.

But I wasn’t.
At that time, I didn’t even know it was actually possible to love another woman.

Today I’m 26, and I have a girlfriend and we have two children.
Hopefully, one day, we’ll have a chance to marry. I believe in it.
_____________________________________________________

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


August 28, 2013

Jenn

Jenn, age 8
Saigon, Vietnam (2002)

When I was younger, I didn't know what gay or lesbian was. But I definitely knew that I was nothing like the other girls. I hated dresses, make-up, and I was scared to hell of dolls. I played with all the boys and loved wearing boys' clothes.

It wasn't until I was in 2nd grade that I learned the words "gay" and "lesbian." And when it was explained to me what it all meant, I promised myself I would never be gay.

And I knew I would never let anyone label me as something that was seen as repulsive in the eyes of the world.

Everywhere I went, being gay was associated with something bad. At home and at school, the words "fag," "gay," "lesbian," etc, were taboo.

So I was convinced very early on that liking women was a sin.

By middle school, I had grown out my hair, dressed a little more girly, and started hanging around more girls. I tucked my true self away, and somewhere down the road I lost who I was. I soon realized that eventually I had to be truthful to myself and just admit it - I am a lesbian!

I became very proud of who I am, and I told myself that if people couldn't accept me as I am, then they didn't deserve a place in my life. So I slowly started to come out to my close friends first, and only a few family members knew. In my final year of high school, I became an advocate for diversity among the students there.

I am still in the process of coming out, mainly to my family. I know now that I have always been gay, and there is no way for me to change that. I am proud to finally be true to myself.

At the end of it all, whichever path you may choose, remember that there's no path greater than just being yourself.
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Click here - "Born This Way: Real Stories of Growing Up Gay" book
Click here - "My First Gay Crush Blog"


February 15, 2013

Eve

Eve, age 13
London, United Kingdom (2004)

I've always been very dramatic. But my coming out wasn't as dramatic as I'd have liked it to be, as I kind of trickled out of the closet. It started with telling a couple of my close friends at 14 about being in love with the girl who played Sky Masterson in our school's production of "Guys & Dolls."

I went through the usual 'Do-I-want-her-or-want-to-be-her?' feelings. Or wondering if maybe I just liked girls because I didn't know any boys? Thank goodness for my all-girls schools though, because our drama department introduced me to the wonders of cross dressing (and ladies in suits).

I tried coming out to other gay girls I knew. But they told me I couldn't possibly know if I'd never been with a girl. After that I shut up about it.

I decided coming out at school was a bad, bad idea. I thought everyone would either hate me, or think I was doing it for attention.

So, I tried dating boys. By the time I got to University I thought, 'Why am I doing this when I could be with girls?' So I ditched the guy, cut off my hair, and bought about a million checked shirts. I was finally part of an accepting gay community!

My mum eventually found out when she found a postcard from my girlfriend signed with kisses. After all the months of her asking "Are you gay?" and me replying 'No. Why do I have to be gay to have a short haircut?' - I finally said 'Yeah, OK. I have a girlfriend'. So it was all a little anti-climatic.

My mum immediately phoned everyone she knew to tell them the news.
And that's how I came out. I'm still with the girlfriend who sent that postcard,
and I still wear men's clothing to this day.
_____________________________________________________

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


October 01, 2012

Born This Way: Real Stories of Growing Up Gay Book!

Hey everyone! TODAY IS THE DAY!

My "Born This Way: Real Stories Of Growing Up Gay" book came out today, Tuesday October 9th! I am beyond thrilled, excited, and proud that I can share my book with all of you, and the world.

Huge thanks to everyone who shared their photo and story with me, and much gratitude for everyone who supported this project. It means everything!


Many of you fellow bloggers wrote about this blog very early on, and you are the reason there was so much buzz for BornThisWayBlog.com from the very beginning. So both myself and Quirk Books would like to make sure you can receive a complimentary copy of the book to review!

So to get your own review copy, here’s what to do: *

1. Email Eric Smith at: eric AT quirkbooks DOT COM. Send him your blog name, the URL of your blog, and your name. Eric is very nice. You'll like him, I promise.

2. Post your book review anytime during the months of October and November.

3. On the review page, please link to the book on Amazon and Barnes & Noble,
to Quirk Book's website, and to me - yours truly at BornThisWayBlog.com

And it's that easy!

I hope the rest of you will grab yourself a copy of the book, and help spread the word about it. Especially for "National Coming Out Day" on October 11th.

The book is also available online on Amazon and Barnes & Noble:
www.amazon.com/gp/product/1594745994/ref=as_li_ss_tl
www.barnesandnoble.com/w/born-this-way-paul-vitagliano

MANY MANY THANKS!
Paul V., your blogmaster and author


* Please note that there are a limited number of books available for review, so make sure you email Mr. Eric as soon as you can!
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March 03, 2012

LA CA event - March 5th

This Monday, March 5th in Los Angeles - The Village Variety Pack presents our 1st Anniversary Celebration party and it's gonna be a super fun event!

We'll be featuring slides from the blog, and 3 amazing guests
will be appearing live to read their growing up gay stories:

Sutan Amrull (aka Raja Gemini, Season 3 winner of Ru Paul's Drag Race)
Todd Hughes (filmmaker, "Hits So Hard")
Clinton Leupp (aka the inimitable Miss Coco Peru)

Also part of this wonderful night of talent is:
Peter Mac as Judy Garland
Uncle Gay & Aunt Bitter (aka comics Tony Tripoli & Penelope Lombard)
The Forever Young Chorale Group
Charles Romaine, singer

Tickets are $15 ** and available at:
- www.lagaycenter.org - or by calling (323) 860-7300
All proceeds benefit the LA Gay & Lesbian Center's youth outreach programs.
** Use the password "GAGA" at the box office for $8 tickets!
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December 25, 2011

:: Happy Holidays To All! ::

For all the readers and supporters of the blog, I just want to wish everyone the happiest of holiday seasons, however you may celebrate it!

And love, health, happiness and full equality for all in 2012! It's hard to believe, but the blog will celebrate its first birthday on January 9th, 2012!

And what an amazing year it has been!

Thank you for believing in yourself, and supporting and celebrating all the people who were kind enough to share their stories and photos here.

YOU are all the stars on the top of the Christmas tree!

Click here to see the Facebook page gallery of your holiday photos.

Much love,
Your blogmaster, Paul V.


PS - This is the Christmas gift I got for myself: A new rescue doggie!

This is Miss Pucci Cocopuffs, and she is just the most beautiful, sweet, happy and silly 'lil lovebubble!

I highly recommend going to a local shelter where you live, and giving a deserving pet a loving and forever new home.

June 18, 2011

Jamie

Jamie, age 8
Coolum Beach, NSW, Australia (2004)

I know I'm a fair bit younger than most of the people here, but I figure that you're never too young to be proud. This is me and my friend Amber, hanging out after a theater production I was in. While I don't wear makeup in general, this photo shows who I am: A fun, proud, and slightly flamboyant person.


I kind of always knew I was gay, I just never knew the word for it.
Through grade school and even in high school, I had multiple girlfriends,
and I didn't think anything of it. I came out in 10th grade to most of my friends and family, and they weren't surprised at all.

All of my friends are fine with me being gay, and so is most of my family.
There is of course the expected bantering at school, but it's nothing really.

Looking back at this picture, as a wise beyond my years young man,
I can see I was happy then. Which even now, makes me happy.

My message to everyone who is gay, straight or another genre not mentioned:
Don't worry about who you are. At the end of the day, life's too short to care about whether or not people like you.

Thanks for your time. I really love your blog!

Jamie's first, famous-person same sex crush:
Neil Patrick Harris
_____________________________________________________
How I Met Your Mother: The Complete Sixth SeasonFree Your Mind: The Book for Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Youth and Their AlliesQueer: The Ultimate LGBT Guide for TeensThe Rough Guide to Gay & Lesbian Australia (Rough Guide Travel Guides)

Also check out "My First Gay Crush Blog"

March 21, 2011

Tristan

Tristan, age 11
Hartford, VT (2001)

The picture was taken at my grandma's house. The girls surrounding me are my sisters. This picture is actually very important to me. It's the first picture of myself where I thought I looked good. I've never considered myself to be a good looking person, but I have always appreciated the way I look in this picture.


When I was younger I was very awkward. I was really into horror films, like "The Shining" and "Alien," and rock music like Nirvana and Soundgarden.
I talked weird, so I was always somewhat self-conscious about my voice.
I generally didn't speak to people very often, and would spend a lot of time alone.

I first realized that I was gay when I was in the 3rd grade. I was attracted to a lot of other boys growing up. But it wasn't until I was 9-years old that I even realized homosexuality existed.

When I was finally open about my sexuality, my family was happy for me.
My mom was a little startled, but she's happy for me today.

But, not everyone accepted me. A few friends were disgusted and avoided me. It hurt, but obviously they weren't going to be faithful to me as friends. If they cared about such superficial things, I eventually realized I was better off without them.

Everyone out there has a different story, and it has really hurt my soul to read about the terrible things a lot of you young people have gone through.

My advice is to learn to be happy with yourself. I know that for many of you,
it will be very hard to do. And I completely understand your fears.

I've been called "f*ggot" before and it always hurts. But you can't let those people discourage you from being happy. Try not to wonder about whether or not you are born this way, because that doesn't matter. Just do what makes you happy.

Self-confidence is an attractive thing.
And the best way to find love, is to love yourself first.

Tristan's first, famous-person same sex crush:
Ralph Macchio

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RALPH MACCHIO 8X10 COLOR PHOTO It Gets Better: Coming Out, Overcoming Bullying, and Creating a Life Worth Living Grunge Seattle (MusicPlace) Heavier Than Heaven: A Biography of Kurt Cobain

March 09, 2011

Cameron

Cameron, age 16
Concord, Massachusetts (2011)

My name is Cameron. I am an FTM (female to male) transsexual.

When I was a kid, I never knew what being transgendered was. I was born a female with the name Camilla. I just thought that boys were boys, and girls were girls.

So I wore girls' clothing and kept my hair long.

But I have distinct memories of walking around the house saying 'I'm dressing like a boy' -  which meant my shirt off, and only wearing shorts and a cross necklace.

In 3rd grade, I began to tell people to abbreviate my name from Camilla to Cam, which would become the basis for choosing my male name, Cameron.

I wore girly clothes until about 5th grade, when I found myself at home in a baggy tee shirt, jeans, and a baseball cap. When I was in about 8th grade, my sister asked me one day if I would rather be a boy or a girl. I thought to myself, 'BOY' but said 'girl' because, to the best of my knowledge, I couldn't do anything about it - so why answer boy?

I remember being extremely uncomfortable when I developed breasts. One of my biggest regrets is not embracing my flat chest as a kid, because now it's gone and I have tumors instead. They're like alien objects on my body.

In 9th grade, I cut my hair short. At a school dance, girls asked me to dance, 'mistaking me' for a boy. And I realized that I didn't mind their confusion.
In fact, I liked it.

That was my first realization that I might be transgender. Coming out to my parents was tricky, though. They still don't accept me for being the man that I SHOULD have been born as. They don't understand, that every day, I wake up wishing that I was just born with the body that boys take for granted. You never know how much you have, and how much other people value what you were born with. If I had one wish, it would be to be born with the right body.

I'm still struggling with my transition to manhood, and it's a slow process. I'm starting to tell people at school, and from what I have seen, they are all getting on board with it. Although I still go by female pronouns almost everywhere, I'm looking forward to the day that I will be known as a man everywhere.

I'm so much happier now, then when I was as a girl in middle school: wondering why I hated my body, and wearing boy clothes to cover up my awkward, out of place shell.

And I know I'm only going to get happier.
I always think things will get better, for those who want it to. :)
_____________________________________________________

Click here - "Born This Way: Real Stories of Growing Up Gay" book
Click here - "My First Gay Crush Blog"
Click to follow my blog with Bloglovin'

February 24, 2011

Ashley

Ashley, age 10
Spring, Texas (2000)

I remember secretly watching Showtime on a school night. I don't remember what was said, but I remember exactly how I felt when "Alice" winked at the girl across from her on "The L Word." I totally died from that small interaction. Died.

I can remember as far back as 3rd grade when the feelings arose.
I was always a tomboy and I loathed any attempt to try to mask that fact with dresses and frills.

Awkward would be the one word to sum it up. And I have many women in my family who have perpetuated that awkwardness.

When I took this picture, I was comfortable and unaware. Before the realization that manly was what I looked like sometimes, when I was comfortable.

Then the realization did come, and the second I laid eyes on it, my stomach fell. I knew what I saw and didn't like it.

But a cute girl in my class did like it, which made me feel a bit better. My mom did too, which eased that feeling even more. My grandmother, however, tossed those positive reinforcements out the window, cocked her head to the side and said: "You look like one of those ‘What’s Up’ girls."

"What!?" I said, even though I totally knew. "Gay" she said. And now my stomach had left the building. I went to my room and stared off in silence, with that wrenching feeling like she insulted my entire being.

I was never ashamed of being gay on the inside, just afraid that it had the power to show on the outside. I was aware that it was taboo. And I was aware that I didn’t want to be taboo in anyone’s eyes.

Every picture of me after that until high school was an awkward rollercoaster. How should I sit? Oh God, did I do that smirk? Is my Adam's apple the ONLY thing you can see?

I sometimes carry that particular self-consciousness today. Partly because I also operate very femme, things have changed, and I'm not as rough as I used to be.

But looking back on things now, I would tell today's youth not to disconnect from any of it, but to embrace it all - and just smile for your picture.

"We need your voice. Your voice is important. Without your voice, part of me gets lost. Because each person we lose, is a loss for everyone." – In The Life, TV

Ashley's first, famous-person same sex crushes:
Tatyana M. Ali (in "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air")
Leisha Hailey (in "The L Word")

Also check out "My First Gay Crush Blog"
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The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air: The Complete First SeasonThe L Word: Season TwoGetting Played: African American Girls, Urban Inequality, and Gendered ViolenceTexas Through Women's Eyes: The Twentieth-Century Experience (Louann Atkins Temple Women & Culture Series)