Read This

Reading this brought up so many emotions. I am one of those gay people who always knew, as long as I can remember, that I was different. By the time I was 12 and figured out what this difference was, I had learned very well that being gay was something that I needed to hide for my own safety and to keep the love of the people around me. It took many years to unlearn this and trust who I am.

I am so moved by the unconditional love and lack of judgement of this boy’s parents. Imagine if all kids had this level of acceptance to be themselves. Imagine if no child ever had to learn to hide who they are. What an incredible head start this would be.

When Your 7-Year-Old Son Announces, ‘I’m Gay’

by Amelia_blogger from The Huffington Post

Top Guide 2010 and 2011

Each year, REI Adventures selects 7 top guides from all of the trips they offer worldwide. Last year, they selected Tom along with guides from Australia, Europe, and Africa for this honor. Go Tom!!! Well, a few weeks ago, I received an email that just said “TOP GUIDE!” in the subject line. I’m happy to report I’m one of REI’s top guides for 2011. :-) The award comes with an all-expenses paid trip to REI headquarters in Seattle, fun outdoor excursions, a shopping spree in their flagship store, a meet-n-greet with the media, tours of REI’s facilties, and an awards banquet. It was this week last year, when Tom was in Seattle, that the “unfortunate incident in St. Lucia” happened. Tom cut his trip short and missed much of the fun REI had planned for him. He flew back to Atlanta to meet me at the ariport when I packed up our stuff and left the island 2 days after the attack. So, when I travel to Seattle in March a year later, receiving the Top Guide award will represent more than recognition for our work creating great experiences for people in the Grand Canyon. That moment will bring us to our first full circle, and the distance between us and what happened in St. Lucia will continue to grow. Go TnT!

 We just picked up Tom’s award which was mailed to my Mom’s house since Tom left Seattle early and couldn’t accept it in person. (The shadow on Tom’s upper lip is for Movember, men’s health awareness month.)

“Being gay will be one of the best parts of yourself, because it is about who you love.” (Haley, Brooklyn, NY)

The quote above is from a story submitted to the NY Times as part of a series of articles they published entitled “Coming Out: Gay Teenagers, in Their Own Words.” In this very touching and compelling piece of journalism, the Times compiled the stories of 183 people into an interactive feature that accompanied the article. The Times contacted some of these people for their stories. Others wrote to the Times after the article was published.

Coming Out

Published: May 16, 2011

Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender teenagers talk about their lives in this weeklong series.