Walking down the hallway back to the Vice Principal's office, again, for another detention I wonder will life ever be any different. Sitting staring at his lips wondering what he and his wife will do on the weekend (wanting to be anywhere else but here), he is delighted to give me another lecture on how thin I am and whether I will eat a candy bar with him. He fears that I have an eating disorder and is trying to trick me into getting fat.
Sitting in my office fifteen years later I feel relief those days are behind me. You could not pay me enough money to go back to high school or be a teenager. As far as Mr. Jones, well, he was right I had a sever eating disorder and I was not about to give in to anyone and eat that candy bar. After all it was the only thing I felt I had control over.
Most days I felt that I lived outside my body and was so very much alone, and it seemed that my father was the only person that could see through me. He would say, "You are different Alex and this world doesn't like those that are unlike them. Try not to be so different because I don't want you to suffer for it. I want you to have a good life."
I would lay in bed crying most nights hating the body I was in and the thoughts that raced through my head. I could not figure out what was different about me, except that every piece of me felt alien. I guess that is what being a teenager is all about.
It was around that time I knew I like girls but was too immature and honestly too tired from malnutrition to care. However, it didn't stop the fantasizing that went on in my head. I remember listen to my Boyz 2 Men album (I know, I am old as dirt!), imagining slow dancing with a woman and kissing her. It was that feeling that put me at ease, the only images that would relax me. I can't believe that now at thirty I am actually living my fantasy that my dream came true and I have my very own perfect love waiting for me at home.
It was not an easy journey. Coming out has been a difficult struggle and continues to be today, especially living in a southern state in the US. In today's society our LGBT youth have so much to overcome. Risks include gender conformity, lack of support, school dropout, family problems, victimization, homelessness, substance use, eating disorders, religious intolerance, negative sexual experiences, and suicide attempts (two to three times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual counterparts).
As recent news over the last couple of years has highlighted, LGBT youth are often bullied at school and unable to receive adequate education. They are shamed and targeted for abuse. They are more likely to skip school out of fear, threats and vandalism directed towards them. Twenty-eight percent of gay students will drop out of school. This is more than three times the national average for heterosexual students. Four out of five gay and lesbian students say they don't know one supportive adult at school.
So here are some things to consider and help you became self-empowered?
Know that being Gay or Lesbian is not a pathological condition (i.e. it is not a mental disease or disability)
The origin of sexual orientation is not completely known.
Gay and Lesbian individuals lead fulfilling and satisfying lives.
They are many ways you can choose to live an LGBTQ life.
Unless you have seek counseling to "change" your sexual orientation, a therapist should never coerce you into doing so (it's unethical and you should report them to the board of licensing.)
If you are a teen and living in a home where there is homophobia, here are some more steps you should take and ask yourself:
Is it safe to come out to your parents? SAFETY first, even as tempting as it may be if you think it may place you in danger hold off.
Will coming out jeopardize your home situation?
Are you safe physically, emotionally, and psychologically if you come out to your parents?
Do you have other available resources, such as money and emotional help if coming out changes your home situation?
Try and educate your parents on LGBT matters, often discrimination is triggered but ignorance and not understanding the unknown.
Get support and find people you can talk too that are safe. Being gay can be a lonely journey, but with the right company can make you stronger and wiser.
The ultimate goal of growing up and developing is finding humanity and breaking down the difference that separate us and isolate others to create a unity and a sense of oneness.
Alex Karydi~The Lesbian Guru
I am an Internationally Certified Drug and Alcohol Counselor that has been trained in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender LGBT related issues. I write for the Examiner.com as their Lesbian Relationship Expert and am a featured writer on SexGenderBody.com. My intention is to start a movement towards a healthier and more supportive community! Where LGBTs can find each other, learn from one another, and build a stronger support system. I, myself, am on a personal quest in discovery for a healthier gay relationship and self-fulfillment.
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns please feel free to email me at TheLesbianGuru@Gmail.com with ExaminerQ as the title or you can follow me on my Blog http://TheLesbianGuru.com! Are just Join The Lesbian Revolution of Health & Love on http://Facebook.com/TheFemmeGuru
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