finally writing this out..advice what do you think

[princealbertofb]

An excellent post by Bowyn, I must say.... It doesn't take gay bashing to make you cringe and retire into the closet, sometimes the most innocuous (at least, thought as innocuous) remarks can build up that mental image that gay is wrong, unnatural and bad. My parents are educated and wise but it didn't stop them saying a few things that I thought showed their dislike of anything gay. That drove me to keep that aspect of me a secret for many many years. Those remarks were probably not said with an intention to hurt, but little did they know how much effect they would have on me. I guess those remarks, and their subsequent effects have somehow kept me safe. I might not be here to tell this story today had I been a hard and willing practising homosexual in the 1980s. Well, that's something I'll never find out. I'm glad I was spared by the plague that killed so many loved ones. This experience has nonetheless taken its toll and certain phrases and attitudes sting to this day.