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The Pros And Cons Of Being Gay

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Behind my smile and laughter, is a man that’s hiding his tears and pain. For a very long time, I have kept a secret that is killing me inside since I was 13.

I’m a gay man.

I think I’ve always known since I was a young child, as I remembered seeing ads of male athletes and their chiseled bodies and being so oddly intrigued by them, but I chalked that to admiration and curiosity. When I realized that my curiosity wasn’t going away, I felt fear. You see, my parents have made their anti-gay stance well-known, throwing tons of derogatory terms when the entire family has gathered at the dinner table or in the car. They would tell stories of gay people they’ve met and express their disgust to my face, and cautioned my brothers and I to not be gay. They …show more content…
I don’t know if it was seeing gay marriage getting legalized in America, or if it was seeing people like Anderson Cooper, Tom Daley or Tim Cook come out as gay, but when I saw how people reacted to all the news with positivity, I saw a glimmer of hope in my future. Although I knew that being gay in society is still difficult, I know that it is not an impossible task to accomplish, and that the future is not as bleak as I had imagined. I started accepting myself for who I am, and not to let others shape me into someone I’m not. I still wasn’t sure how my family was going to react, but I knew Kenny and Stephen would be more open to the news than Mom and Dad. I told them I was bisexual (to test the waters), and they both took the news positively, and kept my secret for 4 years, and for that I will always be grateful and proud to call them my brothers. I also proceeded to tell a few friends about my sexuality, and they were all very accepting, and for the first time, I finally felt like I could be

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