How old were you when first encountered the word "gay?"

[knickerbuck]

i wasnt really sure .. i knew i was about 5 or 6 i think .. to be honest i would have rather lived a better life if i hadnt encountered this word, everything is so much about labels and putting things in a box rather than letting yourself be free and gay (in the true sense of the word). I still do remember clearly though the two instances that i have heard of the word. As kids, here in this country boybands were popular, and people would often guess which band member was gay, two boybands in fact were my favorite, the first, Boyzone, i really liked Ronan Keating because he had this sexy earring then i saw this kind looking member with boyish charms, it was then, Stephen Gately (R.I.P.). my "friend"/neighbor/playmate often talked with me and we came to the topic of boybands first he told me that Nick Carter was "gay" and all that but we were still children back then and i couldnt understand the gravity of the situation blah blah.. but when we came to Boyzone i mentioned Ronan and Stephen as my two favorite band members, then he told me something close to this: " oh that, (Stephen Gately [R.I.P.]), he's gay" .. as if saying that was a bad thing ..as though a thorn was put on somewhere around the side of my innocent self.. thanks to this boy who tried to define the borders of masculinity ..

i hope i did a good job in expressing myself by starting this thread, it just means that there really is gay and straight maybe that event i described was just were i split off from "straight" people in my childhood. no harm intended in posting this cause it might be a culture thing too ..and i thought that it would be fun talking about it with people who had had similar experiences ..