Growing up is hard enough with all the stuff you have to deal with and go through.  Changes all over the place, making friends and losing friends, having crushes on people and getting your heart broken, new schools…It's just not as much fun as people make it out to be.  Sometimes it just plain sucks!

Now imagine what it would be like if you had to deal with all the normal stuff, in addition to feeling the need to hide a part of who you are - fearing how others would react.  Imagine if you had to pretend you had a crush on someone you didn’t even like because you didn't want people to know the truth.  Imagine what it would be like to grow up afraid of the reactions from people who claim to love you most in the world.

You've seen shows like Will and Grace, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, or The L Word.  But what happens when it becomes real life and not just a TV show, when someone you know tells you they're gay or when you have to deal with being gay yourself?  Truth is nothing changes.  No matter if you like boys or girls (or both!) you're still the same person you were before you came out.

Homophobia, the fear of gay people, is a major problem in today's society.  People are people, no matter what color their skin is or what gender they are attracted to.  Yet historically, humans fear the unknown.  This is the main cause of homophobia - fear.  Through learning about what alternative sexual preferences really entail (and not the rumors that you may have heard), we can get rid of this fear and make way for acceptance.  After all, every person deserves the same respect that you do.