Publisher's Synopsis
At a time like now in America, it seems like everyone is reevaluating their lives. Whether people are choosing new passions, ditching toxic relationships, or exposing and canceling a new celebrity every day, the whole perspective on being an American, or any human being, has changed. And being gay in America is no exception. For a while, we were slid into movies and TV shows as the gay best friend that came on twice a season. And then we upgraded to the musical theatre kids with the sparkly scarves. And then came 2015, the year that gay marriage was legalized, and seemingly every YouTuber known to man was coming out as gay for millions to see. Being gay was finally being acknowledged and even celebrated around the whole country. We were taken a bit more seriously and were included in the American conversation more as well. Target started doing an annual pride collection, girls would say "YASSS," and smile when I told them I was gay, and the twenty-year mold that gay people were in was finally breaking. Things were good.
And then things turned upside down. A few years later, countries were creating "LGBT free zones" while our own country was stiffening back up to the 1950's way of life. Legislation after legislation was and still is coming out concerning LGBTQ+ conversation and rights and deciding whether it is safe for our nation's children. Politicians and news anchors alike were calling gay people perverts right on national television. Huh?
Now, imagine being a gay teenager during this seven-year period. Imagine growing up gay during this sweep across the nation. Who was to protect me? Am I really the bad guy as a gay kid? Am I even gay? I was said teenager during this time, and just in time for me to turn twenty this year, I have recapped all of my experiences, opinions, thoughts, and confessions about growing up as a gay teen today and what that means in this book. Spread across ten chapters, I talk about ten different subjects surrounding gay youth in America such as coming out, body image, music, religion, racism, and America's education system. And in every chapter, I expose one of my own confessions pertaining to the topic.
For many gay teens out there, they cannot express their feelings or personalities in the way they want to. There is a great deal of fear of the gay experience and whom you can trust. For those feeling lonely or misunderstood, this book will assure you that you are not and will never be alone. Many experiences and feelings as a gay teen are universal, and you will find yourself reading this book and saying "hey, that happened to me too!" and you will be reminded of just how brave and amazing it is to be a gay teen growing up.