BBP Stories: He Loved His Self

BBP Stories: He Loved His Self

West High School
12th grade
18, African American, straight, girl

When I was in middle school, I had a friend and he was my best friend. It was like I knew he was gay and he knew he was gay, but everybody else knew, too. But he had this whole fear if he should hide it or he should show it.

He was just the sweetest person. He was so generous that everybody took him for a joke. Everybody took him for a mistake. Until he proved everybody wrong. You don’t have to make yourself feel like you’re unwanted or feel bad because of who you are.

And he really, he loved his self. He loved everything about it. He loved feeling gay. He loved everything. And I accepted him in every way. He told me everything. I told him everything.

And now I see him today, he’s the most beautifulest girl you could ever imagine. He dresses like a girl. Wear hair like a girl. Does everything like a girl. You would even mistake him for a girl. So you can’t judge what’s on the outside if you don’t know what’s on the inside. I loved him for him. And he was my best friend. He was a great person. And nobody could take that away from him.

BBP STORIES: Facebook feedback

BBP STORIES: Facebook feedback

Central High School

TRANSCRIPT

When I was in middle school in, like, seventh grade, I thought that I was bi. And so, you know, I was scared because I didn’t think anybody would, like, accept me or anything. And I got, um, a girlfriend.

And, anyways, um-, yeah, I got a girlfriend and she, like, whatever. And I, like, made a status about that, about how I didn’t care and whatever, that it was my life. Well, like, yeah, I was pretty young. I was like 12. But like I just thought that, like, that was me. And that’s what I wanted to be.

Well, I made the status about it on Facebook. And um-, God, people who like were family to me, they just were making rude comments all over the place, telling me I didn’t I know what I was, didn’t know what I wanted, how, like, bad that was. An, liked nasty. And, like, it was just rude, and, like, I cried a lot. And there were people there who were, like, my supporters who were like, “Oh, it’s OK. Blah, blah, blah. Good for you. I support you.”

And then, like, you just sit there, and you—the supporters don’t matter because you have all these people telling you who you are and what you’re supposed to be and how bad that is and that you’re nasty and disgusting and whatever. And I just said, “You know, whatever. Like, it’s my life. I’m going to live it.” But it just got harder because, like, you just see, like, posting one thing on a social network, like, how everybody can just jump on you—like, people who you don’t know, or people who you love and you know a lot, like family. And they all judge you for, like, who you are and say lots of rude things for no reason. Like, it’s, like, not OK.

And you know, yeah, I was probably too young to just make a decision like that. But, like, I was brave enough to tell people. And it kind of just got shot back in my face. But the whole reason I’m telling the story is that it doesn’t really matter who says anything to you. It doesn’t matter what they say. If you like someone or a different gender or any of that, that’s up to you. Like, it’s your life, you’re going to live it. If you want to be bi, or gay, or whatever you want to be, then be it. Because it’s your life, and that’s something that took me a while to learn. And everybody should know that. And everybody should be OK with that. And people who don’t support gay or bi or lesbians, just only have one way of thinking.

I know, like, a lot of bi and gay people, and you know, I’m still, like, kind of bi-curious. But, like, I’m more straight. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t love everyone and that—. I mean, I don’t even really know what I am. So, but just, just be yourself, no matter how long it takes, no matter who judges you. Because being you is the best thing you can do. Thank you.