John Barlow

Growing up Gay

I have always wondered why I never had any problems with my sexual orientation. When I was about 8 years old I started noticing that i was different. At first I didn't pay much attention really. I thought girls had cooties and didn't want much to do with them. During recess my routine was playing soccer or whatever game was being played. I did boy things and always hung around my guy friends. But one day I over heard my aunts talking about how they think I was going to be gay. I had a vague ideas as to what gay meant but did not fully understand what that meant. So me being me walked into the middle of them and asked why they were saying that. They told me it was because I was showing gay tendencies. Which in short was for the way I talked. Which now being older I still don't like to hear myself talk on a recording or video. But back to my point, I knew I was different and when I was around 11 years old i had figured out I liked guys. I was just starting out in middle school around this time. Now growing up with my family was like any other family for the most part. My mom and dad split when i was still in diapers so I did not get to meet my mother until much later in life. My dad and grandma raised me for the majority of my childhood. I had a few stepmoms throughout the years but naturally they never stayed long. The main reason for that was my dad liked the sauce a little too much. His choice was whisky or Bud Light.