So today I read the article in the Oct. 10th issue of TIME magazine about gay teens in modern day America. To tell you the truth, I think I hyped it up too much for myself. I thought it was going to be this powerful statement on how gay youth are overcoming hardships and it will interview various gay youths from across the nation and all. But...instead the article focused on a group called Exodus which tries to convert gay youths to the heterosexual path again. I mean, its good to mention it but not a point to go on about it for 2-3 pages. Not necessary. At all.

However, the good parts were interesting. Like, for example, the Point Foundation is a foundation that gives scholarships to open gay students who have faced hardships coming out. That kind of makes me wish I experienced more hardships (aside from my family thinking is a phase) when I came out but then again, I don't since it must suck a lot. So they deserve the money to go to college.

There are at least 3,000 Gay-Straight alliance in U.S. schools. Too bad there's not one at my high school. But good thing there's one at my college. Sweet. It's weird that some middle schools have Gay-Straight Alliances too.

In the 1960's, the average age of first same sex attractions were reported to be at 14 and 17 for boys and girls, respectively. However, in the 1990's the number dropped to 10 and 12 years old for boys and girls, respectively. I don't really remember when I first started having same-sex attractions. It's just natural that you don't really record the moment in your head.

The new gay attitude: "I only fall in love with guys, but I'm not 'gay'." Which is total bullcrap. They're just afraid of attaching a label to themselves. It's that, once you declare yourself gay you don't necessarily have to fit all the gay stereotypes. Even if other people expect you to. When I first came out as homosexual, so many people were surprised because I don't act gay (although I do hate dodgeball and kickball - I love soccer). Just because you have sex with guys and you're a guy doesn't mean that you will automatically pick up a purse and talk with a lispe. You're still who you are. Whatever. You, period.

Links from the article:

YoungGayAmerica.com
OutProud.org
ChadzBoyz.com - G-rated pictures of young men. Hey, they mentioned it in the article, I swear.
Facebook.com - Not really a gay guy meeting place. It's a place where you link your college e-mail address with a profile and you can meet people from your college or from other colleges. In fact, I met most of Common Grounds (Temple's GSA) from facebook.com before I began school so its useful.
Inqueery.com - EW

Books mentioned:

The New Gay Teenager - by Harvard University Press
Rainbow Road
YGA Magazine
And Then I Became Gay: Young Men's Stories
Loving Homosexuals as Jesus Would - SIGH
Advocate Magazine

Movie:

Hedwig and the Angry Inch