Dare To Be Who You Really Are

From John Silva, a great piece to remind us to dare to be who we really are:

How wonderful to see the strides made by parents and psychologists on being more sensitive and tolerant to children's wishes to be who they want to be. My father, a Colonel, tried and failed teaching me, an effeminate boy to march at age seven. I was a ballerina and liked playing with dolls. I drew dresses and made bedsheets my gowns. I used mom's lipstick and face powder. This girl thing petered slowly and by high school I was less femme and more androgynous. Later, gay pride and identity taught me not to accept the stereotypes of straight society and just be what I am, campy and girly and straight acting and a melange if need be. I escaped depression, anxiety, pain and thoughts of suicide primarily and most importantly, because I had parents who in the end supported whoever I wanted to be. My military dad at a moment when i came out to him said "You're still my son." My mom, a liberal Ilongga who divorced my Dad in the sixties, disowned and called a whore, told me to "follow my feelings..." as she did. In the end, it's the parents who will be dammed or thanked by people like me who grew up in non-conformity.

Read: "What’s So Bad About a Boy Who Wants to Wear a Dress?" - an article from the NY Times.