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sonofwalt says: I don't know if you still read this, as this entry was back in March, but I thought I'd take a stab at giving you some advice from the perspective of a gay man who has been out for over a decade.

Being yourself really means just being, being comfortable in your own skin, as they say. But it doesn't mean trying to be different from anyone else. Check your fingerprints. You already are different just because you breath. Emmet is a wonderful character on QAF, but even someone who is like him can only be said to be himself if he is not trying to be.

If you try to be like Emmet or some other wonderful people who are like him, then you are just really just finding another group, another clique to fit in. If the whole thing about coming out is about being who you are, then don't cloud that by putting on the mask of someone else, either real or fictitious.

Being who you are is tough at your age, because frankly you still have lots of room to grow. You haven't settled completely into the habits and patterns that people twice your age have.

My advice is, like yourself; be kind, be honest; be gracious when you can. Treat others with respect and be good to yourself as well. You are whomever you are. Do things that interest you, say things that feel right to you. Trust your gut. But please don't buy into the myth that to be gay you have to act or dress or think a certain way.

Just be. Do it well, and like it.

That's big brother David's advice. I wish I had someone telling me these things years ago, but if you think me too forward, please just put it down to one fellow traveler trying to help another.

Enjoy the journey.

Yours,
David