Andrew Sullivan has written more on gay issues than just about anyone, but I found this post by him (and the quote from it below) to be particularly interesting, especially in light of my own recent posts here about growing up gay.
This is what a gay person must go through to get to adulthood: he or she must figure out she's different at varying ages, but usually, clearly by mid-adolescence. The dating question looms, as does the marriage question. What do you do? Many gay kids pretend to be straight for a while (mercifully fewer than in the past); many come out and begin the difficult pursuit of love and intimacy and, in some states, marriage; others make a strategic decision to lie about themselves or to construct a public persona drained of any emotional or relationship content so they always avoid the question. At every stage of this evolution, the gay person is made deeply aware of his or her marginalized status as a citizen and as a human being. Few identities expose as much how the law can oppress, stigmatize and alienate.
This is what I hope someday gay kids won't have to go through: the fear, the loneliness, the choice to be accepted versus being who you really are. That day is coming; not fast enough, but it is coming.
"They Still Don't Get It"
^..^
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