For The Luckiest Few

For some time, I've thought that I might just be the luckiest queer boy I've ever known. Now, I'm sure that sounds conceded, but before you blow off this post as a self-touting ego boost, hear me out. I'm far from self-important, and hardly ever like to speak of my advantages, mainly because I know so many are without what I have, but I have to take a minute to appreciate all the things and people that have taken me where I am.

I came out when I was 15. I couldn't drive, couldn't really run away, and definitely wasn't sure what all that meant for my life. What I did know was that I couldn't hide from my life any longer, and that I needed to break open those barriers and be who I was. To me, the benefits of mental, emotional, and spiritual freedom far outweighed the costs of the potentials and "what if's." Lucky for me that everyone in my life has stood by me and supported me the whole way though.

My family has been my backbone, even if they were a bit apprehensive at the start. I have enjoyed love and support from everyone in my family, and they are really the ones that have made my life as easy as any life can be. Because my family has been good to me, I sometimes find it hard to understand a family that is not OK with their gay children. I've witnessed my mother love her children through some painful things that a mother should never have to witness, but her determination to love and cherish her children through all of it is what, I believe, has made all her children strong enough to pick up their pieces and keep moving. I think all parents should be that way. And to be honest, I don't know how to react when they aren't that way.

My friends have also been a complete banner of support for me. Through high school and college, and now beyond, my pack of friends have always been open and loyal. I've never felt the need to shy away from who I am around my clique. This too is extremely important, because it served to boost my confidence that I am a real person, deserving of all the things that life has to offer, like friendship and companionship. Hell, I was even elected president of my fraternity in college as an out gay guy, and there were no issues there. That's the support I've had.

While I have always felt blessed by the amount of love I've received, I'm also often humbled by what some of my gay compatriots have to go through. I don't hear many stories like mine. More often I hear stories of struggle. For the longest, I wondered if some people made up the "drama," as a way to fit in with what they felt was the norm/stereotype for the community, but the more and more of our community I see, the more I see that the greater world still has many steps to take. It's not us though. Although we have work to do on ourselves, the outside world has much more work to do on themselves.

I suppose I'm not trying to make a political statement here, which is very hard for to do. What I'm trying to say is that, with all that I've been blessed with, I know that I have a responsibility to stand up and scream for the rights and privileges of our community. That's one of my callings, something that I have been uniquely groomed. I don't have many of the hang-ups that many of us do, and I have a strong personal support system to help me along the way. So, thank you to everyone that has made me strong, and to everyone that continues to build me up. I worry about some of us that may not have what I have, but it's OK, because we're all in this together.