I only have one hero.
Neil Patrick Harris
He is my hero because, he showed me you could be a average guy, and be gay. Growing up as a teen, I only knew of gay guys who were super flamboyant, and wore women's clothing. I thought, well that's not me, so I can't be gay! I had a hard time coming to terms with my sexuality, and what made it worse is, I didn't identify with gay men that I knew/saw on tv. I just thought you had to be a flamboyant cross-dresser to be gay. I was just your average shy nerd. In fact, a friend of mine's first opinion of me was a "Shy Virgin". lol She didn't know I was gay at first.
When I was 16- 17, I was struggling with my sexuality. I was having feelings I didn't want, and I didn't like the idea of being gay, I just wanted to be heterosexual, or bisexua. I wanted to be into women, but no matter how hard I tried, I was just not attracted to the opposite gender and it bothered me. I think one reason why I had a hard time with my sexuality was, I just didn't really know, or understand that it was an option. I always thought people could only be straight (This is why LGBT representation in the media is IMPORTANT, so people don't think there's something wrong with them, and that there are more people like them!) If I had known people could be gay, and that everyone's different. I wouldn't have struggled with my sexuality like I did.
One of the reasons for my denial in my sexuality was because of my cousins cousin, who is a big time flamboyant/feminine homosexual man. Since he was my only real life exposure to the gay world I thought all gay men were like him, flamboyant. Since I didn't have those characteristics I told myself I couldn't be into men because I wasn't like that, I wasn't flamboyant. I wasn't like him, so I figured I couldn't be....
I
also think the media also gave me a bad impression, since there weren't
really any LGBT characters on tv or anywhere. I barely knew that
someone could be into the same gender. But any time there was a homosexual
man, they were always flamboyant and wore female oriented
clothes, and maybe even a spot of make up (Ya gotta look fabulous ya know. :P).Unfortunately I didn't know about Will & Grace yet either, Jack was flamboyant, but not over the top flamboyant. Will & Grace would have helped me with my sexuality when I was younger, but I didn't watch it until I was 21 in 2011, not 16..etc..
Neil Patrick Harris came out to the general public in 2006, around the same time I started having feelings I didn't understand and when he did. I heard about it, He changed my eyes on what a gay man was. Here he was, just an average guy. Not a stereotypical gay man, but Neil Patrick Harris showed me that you could be average and be gay too!
The reason for all of this, was that I wasn't flamboyant like my cousins, cousin. So I thought I couldn't be gay, because I wasn't like him. But I didn't know that there were more than just one type of LGBT people. (In reality there are plenty of types of people per category really).
I look at NPH as my hero because he was the one that made me realize that you're your own person, and stereotypes are just that, stereotypes! There are plenty of LGBT are are flamboyant to the bone, but there are plenty of average ones too, they just aren't as noticeable since flamboyant men tend to stick out more because of their , heir bright colored clothes, amazing taste in fashion.
We're all different and all because one person is who they are and are a certain way, doesn't mean you have to be anything like that. You're your own person, and stereotypes are just that, stereotypes!
Unfortunately lot's of people in society haven't grasped this concept yet, people always assume I'm straight unless I tell them! Since I'm shy I don't usually tell them. Usually they find out after I add them on facebook.
Sometimes I'll get someone asking me if I have a girlfriend and I just say no cause I'm too shy to tell the truth. Maybe one day I'll just say "I like the pole not the hole, thank you very much." XD
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