huh

So I was just perusing Myspace, but looking at users back in my hometown area to see if I could find people from High School. I know most of us are scattered across the country but this December is supposed to be our five year reunion...at which point all the people I haven't seen in five years will be in one place back in my little North shore town. I was really excited for a minute, I mean Whitney texts me and asks for my e-mail cause they're coordinating it all and want to get in touch with as many people as possible. So I was pretty excited about it. Then I went looking through my Myspace peeps to try and hunt down people. That was when it hit me, that while I was friendly with most of the people in my class by the end of high school, there are definitely some people who will almost certainly be there that I don't care to see. I mean, it's a small town thing you know, I don't want to live in a small town because it can breed small minds...not to suggest it always does. I mean my parents and even grandmother are fine, and I know I'm not particularly worried...sigh, I don't know, But I'll be happy to see Jer and Whitney and even Grimes, who found ME on myspace, there are more faces I'll be happy to see than not. But I don't know...guess I'm just freaked about nothing. Hell, pretty much everyone knew I was gay by the end of high school, well before it probably, and there are people, friends who have come out since. I'm sure it's even harder for them.

It sucked being token gay guy, I was the only one in my class that was out. The fact that my friends knew made it bearable, but it was still so lonely. I didn't really know about the different gay groups in the area, I wish I had. I was just reading Time magazine and the cover story is gay teens. It says that "In 1997 (the year I came out) there were approximately 100 gay-straight alliances...on US High school campuses. Today there are at least 3000." THREE THOUSAND. Thank god for CARE. I needed that group to be there, even though I didn't join immediately, I needed to know it was there.

It certainly wasn't one of the most popular groups with the community. But it was crucial to my survival of high school. And one of the pioneer groups of it's kind.

To underscore my trepidation, I was reading a classmates profile, someone I have known for years and years, since nursery school, and in the "People I would like to meet" section is listed President George W Bush.

Aaaaaand scene.